Mafia History Lesson

[BurningPirateShipSex]

Yep. He avoided trial and attention from the feds for years by feigning mental illness. The press dubbed him "The Oddfather". Some of Junior Soprano's behavior in the Sopranos was based on Gigante.

pretty good for a Luca Brasi-lookin' motherfucker.

 

[AA484]

The Feds Strike Back and the Rise of "Don Carlo"

With the Apalachin bust up in 1957, J. Edgar Hoover had to finally admit to the existence of the Italian mafia. After chasing bankrobbers and Commies for the better part of thirty years, he now had to switch gears and show the public that he was serious about taking down the mafia. His first action was to institute a "Top Hoodlum Program" wherein he asked his field officers to provide a list of the top criminals, or "hoodlums", in their territories or jurisdictions. It was a decent start but the designation was arbitrary at best and while officers in New York, Chicago and the Northeast could easily provide their ten, those in the south and parts of the west struggled to even come up with ten names to put on their lists. Another hurdle for Hoover to overcome was that there were currently no anti-racketeering statutes on the books - lower level hoods could be caught and prosecuted but the mafia's buffer between the upper crust of leaders and the street toughs was such that it became almost impossible to prosecute bosses and other higher ranking mobsters. When made guys did happen to get nabbed they stuck to omerta and refused to talk, or even admit that they were members of a criminal enterprise in order to gain reduced sentences.

Hoover

Hoover also began to experiment with unconventional methods of investigating. When Robert Kennedy was appointed Attorney General in 1960, he immediately made the mob a top priority. Kennedy and Hoover clashed numerous times over how to implement sound strategy to combat their common foe with RFK even threatening to replace the long-tenured Hoover upon JFK's reelection. Hoover now thought of a plan where he could please Bobby Kennedy and fight the mafia. Sam "Momo" Giancana was the front boss for the Chicago Outfit at this time (Tony "Batters" Accardo was the actual boss) and was very brazen about his lifestyle. Hobnobbing with prominent Hollywood stars (including Frank Sinatra), Giancana embraced the spotlight that came with his position (much to Accardo and others' chagrin) and became an instant target for Hoover and Kennedy. Although I will cover the Chicago Outfit in much greater detail later on, it is still important to mention them here because Giancana so aggravated Hoover that he ordered his agents to "bug" many of Giancana's hangouts, an unprecedented step for law enforcement. Although the information gleaned was inadmissible in courts at the time, Hoover still used it to "out" crooked officials (of which there many in Chicago), claiming he got it from "very reliable sources" on the "inside". Although Kennedy claims he never knew about the bugs he still used them to harass many gangsters by calling them in to testify, including Giancana. This was all well and good, but unfortunately for the feds they would not be able to nab any of the heavy hitters until almost a decade later with a little help from "RICO".

Giancana, who exemplified the word "mobster"

As for the mob itself, Apalachin was a slight hiccup but business continued as usual. The opening of Idlewild Airport was seen as just another cash cow for the mob. The Gambino and Lucchese families boasted of "owning" it, stealing millions of dollars worth of cargo every year. The respective heads of those two families, Carlo Gambino and Tommy Lucchese, had grown to be close allies and Gambino had confided to Lucchese that he had begun to consider eliminating Genovese. Blaming Genovese for the Apalachin fiasco, Gambino was also aware that eliminating his former ally would bring him to the top of the mafia mountain - with Lucchese as an ally, his only competition then would be Joseph Bonanno and Joe Profaci, who together couldn't muster the manpower to combat the huge Gambino borgata, estimated by FBI officials to be at least 500. Gambino also began to reach out to Costello, Luciano, and Lansky, who all still held powerful connections despite their loss of underworld stature and would shed no tear at Genovese meeting an unfortunate end.

Don Carlo

Meanwhile, Don Vito had been strengthening his position within his own family. There were still some Costello loyalists and Genovese was also weary of one of his captains attempting to do to him what he had tried to do to Costello - namely kill him and take over the family. Anthony Carfano was the strongest of the pro-Costello factions. He still spoke with his former boss and even skipped a meeting of Genovese's where he gathered all of the family's capos and formally announced his control of the family. Little did Genovese know that Gambino, not a member of the family, was plotting his downfall. Nelson Cantellops, a Puerto Rican drug dealer and Genovese associate, was picked up in 1958 on charges of attempting to distribute narcotics. Genovese's heroin ring crumbled upon Cantellops's testimony, leading to indictments of "Chin" Gigante and other soldiers as well a couple of captains for good measure. But the most shocking facet of Cantellops' testimony was that he had personally met with Don Vito himself to arrange for a large shipment of heroin to be distributed for sale in New York! Cantellops's testimony was seen as illegitimate by many experts (there was heavy suspicion that he had been bribed by the Gambino-Luciano-Costello-Lansky alliance), as a boss of Genovese's stature would surely never allow himself to come in contact with a Puerto Rican street dealer. However, the jury apparently believed it which was good enough for the government (as it had been with Luciano) and Vito was indicted in June of 1958 and the following year sentenced to fifteen years in the pen.

Anthony "Little Augie Pisano" Carfano, Costello loyalist and potential Genovese rival

Now, Carlo Gambino was without question the most powerful gangster in America. Even though locked up hundreds of miles away in Atlanta, Vito still clung to leadership of his family and appointed Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo as acting boss. After seeing their previous three bosses meet ignominious ends (Lucky, Costello, and now Vito) the family began to go underground, so to speak. Gone were the days of headline seeking bosses and front-page busts - the Genoveses began to experiment with a new structure to the chain of command within their family to throw off the feds and keep the heat off of the top spot. Meanwhile, Bonanno and Profaci had been conspiring on their own to take a shot at Gambino but before they could act a guy by the name of "Crazy Joe" Gallo touched off the biggest mob war since Castellamarese thirty years earlier.

A mugshot befitting of the sobriquet "Crazy Joe"

 

[AA484]

Crazy Joe Declares War... and a Rat in the Midst?

Two bodies, a man and a woman, were discovered slumped over in the front seat of a parked Cadillac in a lot at La Guardia Airport in Queens, NY. Both had been shot in the head. Police later identified the bodies as that of Genovese Family capo Anthony "Little Augie Pisano" Carfano and a female companion, former Miss America contestant Jessica Drake. The killers were never found but police knew who was responsible. Even from an Atlanta prison, Vito Genovese still wielded considerable power. Carfano was the last of the Costello allies and by skipping the Apalachin Conference (where Genovese would formally declare his ascent to the top of the family), he had essentially signed his own death warrant.

Carfano and the hapless Jessica Drake

The top positions in the family now belonged exclusively to Genovese's most trusted allies. Jerry Catena and Mike Miranda were appointed underboss and consigliere respectively and both performed admirably in their roles while Genovese was away. Tommy Eboli and Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo (so nicknamed because of his poor eyesight and huge eyeglass lenses) were promoted to the rank of capo to lead two of the twenty-odd crews making up the Genovese family at that time. Numbering an estimated 300-400 soldiers, the Genoveses were still a force to contend with in the underworld but most of their big names had either died or left the game and the new players had yet to appear on the law enforcement radar. With no "number one" to set their sights on, the Genovese Family slowly drifted into the shadows and out of the limelight - but losing none of their power of influence in the process.

Catena and rare surveillance photo of Genovese chatting with Miranda

Meanwhile, Carlo Gambino had become recognized by law enforcement and the news media as the capo di tutti capi, or boss of all bosses, despite the fact that that title had been abolished almost thirty years before. Gambino was cunning and shrewd, playing his enemies (and sometimes allies) against each other and reaping the benefits of any resultant fall out. This had carried him all the way to the top of his own family. Well-liked and revered by his underlings, Gambino would henceforward be known as "Don" Carlo, a sign of respect and admiration. His ally, Tommy Lucchese, shared much of the same qualities which allowed him to stay on top of his own family throughout the turbulent decade of the fifties as well as mutually benefit with his ally from the removal of men like Genovese.

At the same time, the Bonannos and the Profacis were starting to drift away from the other families in the Commission. Always seen as more conservative and "old school", these two families were smaller in size and contained much less influence and connections than the other three families. In addition, internal strife would rip these two families apart in the sixties and lead to consequences which would be still be felt decades later.

The Profacis were the first family to implode. Frank "Frankie Shots" Abbatemarco was a high earning Profaci family capo, making about 2.5 million dollars annually through bookmaking and numbers. Profaci was pleased and enjoyed the mounds of cash being handed over monthly by Frankie Shots as his share of the take as boss. But the soldiers of the Profaci family were beginning to tire from paying what they considered unfair shares of their profits - bosses always took a disproportionate share of a family's earnings but Profaci, an infinitely wealthy man, was always wanting more. Eventually, Abbatemarco started holding back on his payments to Joe. Joe confronted Abbatemarco and demanded $50,000 that he claimed Abbatemarco owed him. Frankie Shots refused to pay and raised the ire of Profaci who began to plot his elimination. Approaching Joe Gallo (one of three brothers who were members of Abbatemarco's crew), Profaci offered a deal - eliminate Frankie Shots and his crew and lucrative rackets would be his. Although the Gallos also resented Profaci's methods, Joe, never one to turn an opportunity for advancing his status down, agreed to whack Frankie Shots.

Montage of (clockwise, from left) "Frankie Shots" Abbatemarco, Joe Profaci, and "Crazy" Joe Gallo

Outside of a Brooklyn bar in November, 1959, Frankie Shots was ambushed by Joseph Gioelli and another man, possibly one of the Gallos. Before he could react, Abbatemarco was hit and stumbled back into the bar where the hitmen followed him, pumping several more shots into him before fleeing the scene. Joey Gallo was now in high spirits. After the hit, he contacted Profaci to formally assume control over Frankie Shots's rackets but was astounded to learn that Profaci now demanded another hit before leasing control of the crew to Joey: Frankie's son, Tony Abbatemarco. Not wanting to become a pawn in Profaci's game, Joey took a drastic step and declared war on the leadership of the Profaci family.

Joey Gallo relished being a gangster - he looked, talked, and acted the part to a tee. His crew included his two brothers, Larry and Albert ("Kid Blast"), Joe Gioelli, and an up and coming mobster by the name of Carmine Persico. All were killers (the Gallos and Persico were pegged by some as having whacked Albert Anastasia) and all were reckless - almost to a fault no thanks to their leader, who would soon earn his nickname, "Crazy Joe".

Joe (left) and Larry (right)

Gallo was the first to move. In January, 1961, he kidnapped underboss Joe Magliocco and three other high ranking Profaci family members, demanding a $100,000 ransom for their safe return. Profaci, who had escaped Joe's net and hurriedly rushed off to his Florida home, agreed to sit down with Gallo and put an end to the hostilities. The terms of the deal are not known in detail but evidently they were enough to please Gallo, who released his captives and settled back into normalcy. With his guard now down, Profaci planned his revenge by first luring Carmine Persico over to his side (using the same bait as he had used with Gallo - control of Carmine's own crew). Later that year, Joe Gioelli disappeared and a package appeared on the front steps of a Gallo hangout - Gioelli's clothes stuffed with dead fish, alluding that Gioelli was now "sleeping with the fishes." (Reenacted in The Godfather, as if you needed to reminded). Larry Gallo was next on Profaci's hit list. He was lured into a bar by some of Profaci's men and upon sitting down for a drink was ambushed from behind by Persico (who had earned the nickname "The Snake" for his duplicity) with a garotte. With his life quickly slipping away, Larry was saved by the chance entry of an on-duty police officer. Surprising the would-be killers, the attempt on Larry Gallo's life was broken up as Persico and the others made a hasty exit. (This also inspired a scene in The Godfather: Part II.)

Carmine "The Snake" Persico

Meanwhile, Joe Gallo was having a hard time earning with the warfare between the two factions. He began shaking down businesses for cash until one owner reported him to the police. Gallo was charged and convicted in December of '61, earning a 7 to 14 year sentence for extortion. Losing their leader, the Gallos still tried to carry on the struggle against the rest of the family. Outmanned and outgunned, they were at a distinct disadvantage but were dealt a favorable hand in June of 1962: old Joe Profaci had died of cancer. Leadership now passed to his brother-in-law, Joe Magliocco, who continued to battle the Gallos throughout the year.

Magliocco (left) and Profaci (right)

While the Profaci war was raging, Gambino and Lucchese were chagrined at all the negative attention the war was bringing. By secretly backing the Gallos and evening the playing field, the two mob kingpins were hopeful that Profaci's family would weaken so that they could take over some of its rackets. The timely death of Profaci certainly didn't hurt their chances.

Profaci's death wasn't the only prominent one in 1962. Lucky Luciano, the exiled founder of the Commission and mastermind of the mob, died of a massive heart attack in a Naples airport diner. His old buddy Joe Adonis, himself deported, brought a wreath to Lucky's funeral which read "So long, pal." The old guard was slowly fading away. Prior to the start of the Profaci-Gallo war, the regime of Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on New Year's Eve, 1958, down in Cuba, and Fidel Castro took power - outlawing gambling and shutting down the island's casinos and gambling dens. Lansky was celebrating the New Year in Cuba at the time and beat a hasty retreat out of the country. With his main money-making source gone and most of his allies dead or removed from power, Lansky decided to settle down with his millions and live a quiet life in Miami, Florida.

Lucky Luciano: 1897-1962

Back in New York, things weren't so quiet - internecine warfare within the Profaci family notwithstanding. Vito Genovese had grown distrustful of Anthony Strollo's leadership of the family in his absence. Genovese had begun to suspect that Strollo had cooperated with Gambino and Lucchese in setting up his arrest in order to take over the family. Additionally, Genovese learned that Strollo was still brazenly selling large amounts of narcotics - something which Genovese believed would hurt his chances for parole. In April of 1962, Strollo went missing. Presumed dead, his body was never recovered. In his place, Genovese appointed Tommy Eboli, "Chin" Gigante's old boxing manager, as acting boss. The sixties had started out turbulently for the mob, with warfare and upheaval threatening to break the Commission apart, but things were about to get worse. In 1963, Joe Valachi took the stand and broke the mafia's long-standing code of silence.

 

[AA484]

Joe Bananas Makes a Move and Cosa Nostra Revealed

Despite "Crazy Joe" Gallo's imprisonment in late 1961 and Joe Profaci's death the next year from cancer the Gallo-Profaci War still raged uncontrollably. With the backing of Gambino and Lucchese the remaining members of the Gallo crew carried on the war against the Profaci family and its new boss - Joe Magliocco. As he was the new head of the family, Magliocco was reluctant to put a stop to the bloodshed. He feared that negotiating with the Gallos would make him look weak in the eyes of his family and the other Commission members - who were already displeased that the family had caused an attention seeking war. Eventually however, the war would sputter to a close in 1963 as several members of the Gallo crew were imprisoned and the remainder struck a deal with Magliocco in a sit-down brokered by Ray Patriarca, boss of the New England crime family headquartered in Providence. With the Gallos out of his hair for the time being, Magliocco turned his attention to bigger fish. Along with Joseph Bonanno, Magliocco was now preparing to take on the whole Commission.

Joe Magliocco

Joseph Bonanno had been boss of his family for over thirty years and had managed to avoid jail and bullets during his entire reign - no small feat. As seen in earlier parts, the Bonanno family was much smaller than the other families and didn't enjoy the political connections that the Genoveses, Gambinos, and Luccheses did. Often partnering with their natural allies the Profacis, the Bonannos had to rely on the old mafia standards of bookmaking, loansharking, and robbery to line their pockets - as well as a relatively new venture, narcotics. The core of both families had emigrated to America much later than their counterparts, more than twenty years in some instances, and as a result spoke English much less fluently than their counterparts. On the other hand, this also revealed a hidden asset for the two families - their connection to their home land of Sicily. The Bonannos and Profacis were smaller but were much more close-knit than the other Five Families and many of their members were related by blood or marriage from the "old country" (Bonanno's daughter also married one of Profaci's sons in a lavish ceremony which may have influenced the wedding scene in The Godfather).

Joe Bonanno

At some point in the late fifties (no one can agree on the exact date or whether an actual meeting even took place), the Bonannos, Lucky Luciano, and several high-ranking Sicilian mafioso concocted a scheme to smuggle heroin into the United States via Canada. Although there were various other routes and other families (notably the Luccheses) and even races who eventually became involved in some way, the name "French Connection" (especially after the 1971 movie of the same name starring Gene Hackman) was what became popularly linked to the venture. The main Bonanno contact for the French Connection was Carmine "Lilo" Galante, the ruthless underboss of the family. Linked to dozens of murders throughout his criminal career, Galante was definitely one of the most feared mobsters among the Five Families. Even other members of his family feared him and tended to avoid him, if at all possible. Bonanno was himself weary of Galante but respected his reputation and his ability to intimidate the family's Canadian partners into giving up a disproportionate amount of their earnings. No one in Canada possessed the muscle to challenge Galante's stance - except the Canadian government, who tired of Galante's thuggish ways and banned him from the country. Eventually busted in the same narcotics sting that Vito Genovese was, Galante spent the next several years in and out of the courtroom and was eventually locked up in 1962 for twenty years. He would serve only eleven years of his sentence before being released and making his own grab for power - but that's another story.

Carmine "Lilo" Galante

Bonanno, now nearing his sixties, was milking the lucrative heroin trade for all of its worth and felt that if he were to ever control crime in New York City he would need to act soon. In 1963, he recruited Magliocco and named Carlo Gambino, Tommy Lucchese, and Stefano Magaddino as his three top targets. Magaddino, boss of the Buffalo family and Bonanno's own cousin, had displeased Bonanno for not sharing enough of his Canadian rackets, especially Toronto, which Bonanno believed could serve as yet another pipeline for his narcotics trade. By killing off three Commission bosses, Bonanno hoped he would then be able to control the other families with Magliocco's help. Genovese was imprisoned and growing ill and not considered a serious threat. The Chicago Outfit was too far away and more concerned with their holdings in Vegas and Hollywood than what the New York families were doing.

Bonanno and Magaddino (seated at the head of the table) in happier times

Magliocco, for his part, was eager to get back at Gambino and Lucchese for their support of the Gallos and readily joined in the plot with Bonanno. It was decided between the two that Joseph Colombo, one of Magliocco's top lieutenants, would be assigned the task of wiping out the opposition. Joe Colombo was brazen and outspoken and was part of the new, up and coming breed or American-born mobsters who would take the Five Families into the seventies and eighties. However, Colombo was weary of taking on the powerful Gambinos and Luccheses. Believing that Bonanno and Magliocco had gotten in over their heads, Colombo stalled in his assigned killings before finally going before the Commission and leaking the plot to Gambino and Lucchese. Colombo wished to put the families' differences behind them and once again unite the Commission for the better interests of all involved. Gambino and Lucchese were not surprised at Colombo's revelation and immediately pinpointed Bonanno as the mastermind of the plot.

Joe Colombo

Summoning both Bonanno and Magliocco, the Commission were planning to take it easy on both men due to the fact that no blood had been shed and both men were elder statesmen of sorts for the mafia - immediate abdication as boss of their family and retirement for life. Bonanno, fearing execution, had fled before the sentence was even handed out. High-tailing it to Tuscon, Arizona, where Bonanno had a second home, he effectively carried out his own sentence, leaving "Johnny Burns" Morales as acting boss until he deemed it safe to return. Magliocco decided to face the Commission and take his medicine, which to his relief were only the terms mentioned above. Magliocco quickly agreed to step down and Colombo, relatively young at 41, was rewarded with the family. The Gallo war and his perceived close brush with death at the hands of the Commission had taken its toll on Magliocco's blood pressure. He would die from heart problems before the year was out.

The Commission in 1961 (with new seats for the Detroit and Philly families)

Among all the warfare and conspiracy plots, a soldier in the Genovese family had been imprisoned in 1959 for narcotics trafficking. Joseph Valachi had been a made man for more than half his life and had taken part in the Castellamarese War. Working for the now-deceased "Tony Bender" Strollo crew, Valachi performed a variety of crimes for the Genovese family - including robbery, extortion, and eventually drugs. Arrested for dealing the same year as Genovese, 1959, Valachi was also sentenced to the same Atlanta penitentiary. Growing increasingly paranoid, Valachi became convinced that Genovese was going to have him whacked because he (wrongly) believed that Valachi had assisted the authorities in convicting Genovese in return for a lighter sentence. Valachi claimed that Genovese even approached him and gave him the "kiss of death". In June, 1962, Valachi was outside in the prison recreational area when he was approached by another inmate. Mistaking him for another imprisoned Genovese soldier sent to kill him, Valachi grabbed a pipe from a nearby construction pile and bludgeoned the innocent man to death.

Early mug of Valachi

Now faced with the death penalty, Valachi, ironically enough, now agreed to testify and reveal all he knew about the Mafia, or as it would now be known to authorities, "La Cosa Nostra", or "Our Thing" (the "La" was added by the media even though it was grammatically incorrect by Italian standards - roughly translating to "The Our Thing.") Testifying in September, 1963, Valachi's information did not lead to any direct arrests but he was the first made member of an Italian crime family to reveal the existence of the mafia. Valachi revealed the identity of the bosses of the five families, the existence of the Commission (as well as the other families outside of New York) the leadership hierarchy of a crime family, the initiation process, and many other details which were previously unknown to American law enforcement, including the real cause behind Salvatore Maranzano's death thirty years previous.

Valachi testifying and a Cosa Nostra timeline, courtesy Joe Valachi

New York law enforcement now had names and leadership structures for all five families (although Valachi's information on the Bonannos and Maglioccos was limited) and could now use the information garnered from Valachi's testimony to attempt to break down the Five Families' death grip on the city of New York. Valachi was relocated to a private cell in a Texas prison where he lived the remaining eight years of his life before dying of a heart attack in 1971 (Interestingly enough, Valachi, who had earlier been so concerned with saving his life, attempted to take it in 1966 by hanging himself in his cell. He was discovered before he was able to succeed).

Crime family charts from the Valachi hearings - I always found these fascinating. Click to make them larger.

It will be easier for me to now break up the remaining parts of this thread by focusing on each of the families in turn. Trying to weave together timelines for all five families wasn't really something I was looking forward to doing so this has been planned all along. Basically, here is the tentative schedule for future posts in this thread:

1. Genoveses
2. Gambinos
3. Luccheses
4. Bonannos
5. Profacis/Colombos
6. Chicago Outfit
7. Other Eastern families (Philly, Buffalo)
8. Other Midwestern families (Detroit, Milwaukee)

 

[AA484]

The Genovese Crime Family, Part 1

The Genovese Crime Family was the hardest hit by the testimony of former soldier Joe Valachi in 1963. The entire leadership structure as well as six crews had been positively identified by Valachi and the feds. Genovese still exercised supreme control over the family and all major decisions through his brother, Michael Genovese, who had recently been appointed to the new position of "messagero". As Vito's brother, Michael was able to freely visit the don in prison in Atlanta and relay instructions to the family back in New York. Since Vito's imprisonment four years ealier, a "panel" of sorts had been formed to run the family. Tommy Eboli was the de facto "acting boss" of the family in the don's absence. Jerry Catena, captain of a powerful New Jersey faction of the family, was still underboss, while Big Mike Miranda held sway as consigliere. All three were had cut their teeth on the streets in Vito's old crew and were rewarded for their fealty by being appointed to top positions in the family. Other sources have also listed Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo as another member of the ruling panel. Lombardo was highly regarded in the family and had taken over Trigger Mike Coppola's old crew after his forced retirement due to women and gambling problems which had brought unnecessary heat down on the family.

Leadership panel, left to right: Eboli, Catena, Miranda, Lombardo

Although all four were Genovese loyalists, dissension naturally began to build between the four especially between Eboli and Catena/Miranda. The latter two had even considered whacking the Don upon his release from prison in order to take over the family themselves. Eboli was in turn worried that they planned on eliminating him! By all appearances, the Genovese family was in turmoil but upon closer inspection we can see that they were taking steps to solidify their standing in the underworld and create a buffer zone their family's hierarchy and the streets. Despite Genovese's imprisonment, the feds were at a loss for any information further than what had been provided by Valachi. They knew of the supposed panel and its members but beyond that had almost nothing to indict with. Eboli had served various stretches in jail for small offenses while Miranda and especially Catena had built their riches with practically no interference from law enforcement. Lombardo was a virtual unknown to the feds.

The family, Valachi excepted, had always been the strictest upholders of omerta among the five families, refusing to even discuss family business with others on the commission or even their own family. Valachi himself was only able to identify only seven of the family's 20+ crews. In 1965, Eboli's position was changed from "acting boss" to "front boss", a new position which would be used to distract the feds from the true head of the family. Only the most important issues would be brought before the boss (or acting boss) and day to day decisions would continue to be made by the ruling panel. Eboli's change in title was brought about by the new "acting boss" - Philip Lombardo. Lombardo was highly secretive and law enforcement only became aware of these changes years after the fact.

In 1964, Vincent "The Chin" Gigante was released from prison after serving a reduced sentence for his role in the Genovese drug ring. He had managed to secure an early release based on a letter writing campaign from concerned citizens in his neighborhood testifying to his involvement and positive influence within the community. Upon his release, he hooked up with the Greenwich Village headed by Tommy Eboli's (who, as you may remember, had managed Chin during his fledgling boxing career) brother, Pasquale. Probably the most powerful organized crime crew in downtown Manhattan, its members were solid practitioners of typical mafia money-making standards such as bookmaking, shylocking, extortion, and hijacking. Chin, who had earned respect within the family for his time served, began to meet the right people and make the right friends and soon found himself quickly moving up the ranks of the crew.

Rare photo of "Chin" Gigante with daughter Rita

Meanwhile, old Don Vito's health had taken a turn for the worse. After being transferred to a special Federal Prison Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri, Vito died of a heart attack in 1969, four years from his projected release date. Jerry Catena was currently under investigation and getting on in years and Mike Miranda also saw retirement near in his future. Both agreed that Lombardo should now ascend to permanent status as the family's boss. Keeping Eboli on as a front boss for distracting law enforcement, Lombardo became even more reclusive in his full-time role. Making frequent trips to Florida, he managed to keep both himself, and the family, away from law enforcement attention for years as well as retain control over the family's many rackets, especially Genovese mainstays like the Fulton Fish Market and the construction and waste hauling industries.

Vito Genovese's mug shot upon arrival at Springfield Federal Prison Medical Center

The Fulton Fish Market had been within the iron grip of the Genoveses for decades and had been run since the early 40's by Joseph "Socks" Lanza, so named for his penchant towards "socking" anyone who opposed his rule of the docks. In a nutshell, ships would bring their hauls and catches to the docks for unloading. Since the mafia controlled the unions which controlled the docks which controlled the workers who unloaded the ships, they basically just had to name their price for any and all endeavors involved in bringing the goods from the boats to the market - including unloading the ships, loading the trucks, driving the trucks to the market, unloading the goods upon arrival, and even the actual sale of the goods. The construction business was "run" in much the same way: The mafia would threaten work site shutdowns and other labor problems if their controlled companies weren't contracted for specific jobs, usually at exorbitant prices (with the captains and bosses naturally receiving a large cut of the inflated job price). Waste hauling was somewhat different. In the 1970's, the city of New York got the bright idea to only pick up waste for residential buildings only. Commercial buildings would now hire their own waste hauling companies to pick up their garbage. The mafia, especially the Genoveses and Gambinos, took advantage of this by infiltrating waste hauling companies and demanding high prices for their services. Any other companies who offered cheaper fares were crippled by strikes or muscled out of the scene. Anthony Provenzano, Genovese family capo, was able to acquire labor connections for the family through his vice presidency of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Teamsters Local 560, a position he gained through connections with crooked Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa.

"Socks" Lanza in the 1940's (left) and Anthony Provenzano, Genovese labor kingpin

Fulton Fish Market

In addition to the millions brought in by these rackets, Lombardo's men on the streets continued to rake in cash from gambling and loan sharking - but drugs were another story. Many bosses, due to the heavy sentences involved with drug trafficking, outlawed the practice within the family, even upon penalty of death. But if the potential for a big drug score was high enough, the bosses turned a blind eye to this unofficial stance. One such scenario came about when Tommy Eboli, probably with Lombardo's approval, approached Carlo Gambino in 1972 about securing a 4 million dollar loan to finance a massive drug deal. Gambino consented to the loan and Eboli soon purchased the drugs and began distribution for what he thought would be a sure fire money maker. Unfortunately for Eboli, the ring almost immediately busted up by the feds and he suddenly was 4 million in the hole to the most powerful mobster in the country. Unable to come up with the money in a timely enough fashion, Eboli was shot five times and killed after a late night visit to his girlfriends apartment.

Tommy Eboli (left) with lawyer

Lombardo and the Commission had agreed to the murder, perhaps because they wanted Frank "Funzie" Tieri to take over as front boss anyway and Eboli's non-payment only made the transition easier. Tieri was already underboss for the incarcerated Jerry Catena, who had been jailed for two years in 1970 and promptly retired to Florida a millionaire upon his release in 1972. (Catena was an unmitigated mob success story. Besides his two year stint in the clink, he served no other time and lived to the ripe old age of 98, dying in retirement in 2000 as one of the last of the old school mafiosos). Now Tieri took on the dual role of front boss and underboss. Mike Miranda, perhaps unnerved by Catena's indictment, himself retired in 1972, dying the next year. Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno, captain of the powerful 116th Street Crew, was appointed the new consigliere. Chin Gigante was promoted to captain of the Greenwich Village crew around this time as well. After almost a decade of leadership turmoil, the Genoveses had finally reached stability and with their unique power structure were now prepared to take on whatever law enforcement threw their way.

Frank "Funzie" Tieri and a young "Fat Tony" Salerno

 

[FroGG_NeaL]

Loving this thread.

 

[AA484]

I pumped the last one out at work during lunch break so hopefully this one won't have as many typographical grammar errors which I will be too lazy to fix.

The Genovese Crime Family, Part 2

With Lombardo at the helm the Genovese family was able to avoid serious attention from law enforcement for a dozen years. Lombardo was not even recognized as a target - the FBI had instead focused on Frank "Funzie" Tieri, playing right into the Genoveses hands by gunning for the "front boss" instead of the real head man. Lombardo was spending more and more of his time in Florida and letting Funzie, Fat Tony, and Lombardo's new protege Chin Gigante handle the everyday running of the family. By most accounts, Tieri was well-respected by the other members of the family and was generally considered a fair and capable boss. However, he and Fat Tony were far from spring chickens and Gigante was being groomed by Lombardo to take over the family after his own retirement or death. Gigante was already practicing many of the same techniques which had kept Lombardo hidden from view of the feds for years. The Triangle Social Club, headquarters for the Greenwich Village crew which Gigante captained, had painted its windows black and Gigante made sure someone was in the club at all hours, day or night, to prevent the FBI sweeping in and planting a bug. Even then, he was extra precautionary, taking associates into the bathroom and turning on all the sinks before whispering into their ears. He relayed most decisions through his brother, Mario, or through a select few of his trusted lieutenants: Venero "Benny Eggs" Mangano (his parents owned a chicken farm), Louis "Bobby" Manna, Dominick "Baldy Dom" Canterino, or Dominick "Quiet Dom" Cirillo.

Lombardo and exterior of the Triangle Social Club

Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno, captain of the 116th Street crew which dominated East Harlem, had become one of the biggest earners in the family. His crew ran a massive numbers racket along with gambling and loan-sharking which netted millions to Fat Tony and the family. He could almost always be found sitting in front of his headquarters at the Palma Boys Social Club on 115th Street. Salerno counted Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello (who controlled almost every porn shop or adult club - straight or otherwise - in and around Times Square) and Vincent "The Fish" Cafaro (who was hooked up with the N.Y.C. District Council of Carpenters which held sway over all carpenters unions in the city) as two of his top lieutenants. Fat Tony was a colorful character - he was always chomping on an unlit stogie and liked to pose in his pajamas and a backwards baseball cap on Christmas cards for members of his crew. Quickly becoming a respected and feared gangster, Fat Tony would be counted on by both Lombardo and Gigante to keep the family in good stead once leadership eventually passed on to Chin.

Fat Tony at his usual place in front of the Palma Boys Social Club

Meanwhile, the Five Families were upset with Philadelphia. In 1976, legalized gambling was approved in Atlantic City and the first east coast casino was opened there in 1978. Unfortunately for New York, A.C. was Philadelphia's territory, but Angelo Bruno, known as "The Gentle Don" for the non-violent and calm manner in which he operated his family, stayed true to his nature and agreed to share his profits with New York. Bruno knew that his family was smaller than any one of the Five Families and feared a destructive conflict so he decided to acquiesce with their demands. The Philly family was upset and believed that Bruno was keeping too much of his own share of the cut and not giving enough up to the family. A few higher ranking members of the family, including the consigliere, went to Tieri and Paul Castellano, the new Gambino boss, for approval to whack Bruno and distribute a fairer cut to the rest of the family. Tieri agreed to the scheme but had plans of his own. Bruno was killed by the dissident members of his own family - who were quickly killed in retaliation by the New York families for their "unsanctioned" hit on a boss! Tieri, Gigante (and almost assuredly Lombardo) and the other bosses had "approved" the hit on Bruno and then killed the rebellious Philly mobsters to create turmoil within the family so the New York families could take over even more of A.C. Thanks to Tieri and the other bosses, the Philly family was plunged into internecine warfare and violence which plagued the city and caused a drastic weakening (and near extinction) of the family. But that is yet another story.

Bruno's gruesome crime scene

Meanwhile, the feds were getting their ducks in a row to make a serious stab straight at the heart of the mafia. Their secret weapon was RICO - the Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act. Created by G. Robert Blakey and signed into law in 1970, the RICO act was specifically designed to "behead" mafia families by attacking the leadership structure of the organization. In the past, the bosses were practically immune to serious prosecution because they never actually committed any of the crimes their underlings were charged with. RICO changed all of that. Now, as heads of criminal organizations dealing in illegal enterprises, bosses would be responsible for crimes their subordinates committed. Unfortunately for Blakey, Washington was reluctant to implement the act, fearing that the mob's high priced attorneys would rip it apart for being unconstitutional. A "pattern" of racketeering would have to be shown, defined as at least one committed act of the family after the signing of the statute (1970) and another one committed again within the next ten years. This would show that a criminal organization had been engaged in continual acts of illegal gambling, extortion, theft, murder, drug trafficking, or any number of other listed offenses over the course of several years. Finally, in 1980, the law decided to attempt to convict a boss on RICO charges. That boss was "Funzie" Tieri.

G. Robert Blakey (on right) and "Funzie" Tieri

Tieri pulled out all the old stops, including a wheelchair and oxygen mask, to prove to the judge and jury that it was impossible for an invalided old man such as he to run a powerful and dangerous crime family. Unfortunately for Tieri (but fortunately for Lombardo - his "front boss" scheme had worked like a charm), the jury didn't buy it and he was convicted of four RICO violations and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, an effective death sentence for the 76 year-old Funzie. Sure enough, he died of natural causes a mere two months into his sentence, his demise no doubt accelerated by his conviction. Lombardo, himself in his mid-seventies and fearful of being outed as the true boss, decided that he would retire for good to Florida, joining Jerry Catena and other mob retirees to live out the rest of his life in warm sunshine as opposed to a cold, windowless jail cell. Fat Tony had been bumped up to front boss upon Tieri's indictment and Chin Gigante, currently serving as underboss, was promoted to boss of the family by the retiring Lombardo - effective immediately. The prosperous, and sometimes bizarre, reign of the "Chin" had begun.

Surveillance photo Gigante smoking and holding court in front of the social club - the bathrobe will be explained soon enough

 

[AA484]

The Genovese Crime Family, Part 3

The regime changeover from Philip Lombardo to Vincent "Chin" Gigante was one of the more seamless transitions in the history of the mafia. Because Lombardo had groomed Chin for several years to take over as boss, when the time came Chin was ready and was more than capable of thriving in his new role. Besides Chin, a few other changes just so happened to take place at the same time; Tieri was imprisoned and soon to die so Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno would assume the mantle of "front boss" to keep the feds attention away from Chin. Saverio "Sammy" Santora, a highly respected capo who had headed the 116th Street Crew after Fat Tony's earlier promotions, once again took Salerno's place by moving up as the new underboss. Santora was a good earner and highly respected among his peers - he was also considered for leadership of the family before Lombardo finally decided on Chin. Leadership of the 116th Street Crew now fell to the fast-rising Liborio "Barney" Bellomo, who became the youngest captain in the mafia at the tender age of 24! Bellomo was a natural to the life and more than made up for what he lacked in age and experience with smarts and an ability to learn from his mentors Fat Tony and Sammy Santora. Bellomo would eventually play a key role in the family, one that he still holds to this day. Consigliere Dominick "Fat Dom" Alongi, former driver for Tommy Eboli and one of Chin Gigante's old crew members, became ill and/or died around this time (not much is known about Fat Dom - the mafia isn't particularly known for their record keeping) so Chin replaced him with another one of his old lieutenants, Louis "Bobby" Manna. Finally, for the important role of "messagero", Chin appointed longtime comrade and crew member Dominick "Quiet Dom" Cirillo.

(left to right) Bobby Manna, Quiet Dom, and Liborio Bellomo

Now that Chin's leadership structure was firmly in place, he set about making the new rules for the family. As far as the media and law enforcement was concerned, Fat Tony was the boss of the family. Nobody but made members of the Genovese crime family would be told who the actual boss was and even then, they could only contact Chin through one of his sons, Andrew or Vincent Esposito (the latter born from his mistress; curiously enough, Chin's mistress shared the same name as his wife - Olympia) or Quiet Dom Cirillo. As "messagero" Cirillo was trusted with communicating with the other bosses on the Commission, as well as capos and other administrative positions in the family. By removing himself from direct contact with his subordinates, Chin hoped to decrease even further the chance of being implicated in crimes committed by the family. Chin was constantly fearful of wiretap surveillance and never spoke business on the phone. If something was important enough to not go through proper channels and needed to be addressed personally, Chin spoke in barely a whisper directly into his associate's ear, often with faucets running or near a loud air conditioner or television. Under no circumstances was he to be mentioned over the phone (even by code or nickname) and even face to face talks carried a penalty of death - if he needed to be referred to, a "C" was made with the hand or the speaker pointed to his chin.

Gigante had two apartments, one for each of his families, but preferred to stay at his mother's place because it was the least likely to become bugged. He rarely ventured outside but when he did, he exhibited his greatest defense against law enforcement harassment - feigning mental instability. Gigante had been perfecting his act for the better part of the last decade and really turned it up once he was pronounced boss. The first example of his supposed mental incompetence was portrayed when he was arrested in 1969 for trying to bribe the entire police force of Old Tappan, New Jersey (where he had bought a house for his wife) and was able to escape bribery charges by successfully showing evidence from psychiatrists which showed him mentally unfit to stand trial. Since then he had steadily built up a resume for mental instability. When he did venture out in public, it was usually around the arm of Quiet Dom Cirillo or "Baldy Dom" Canterino. He shuffled along at a sloth's pace and was usually dressed in a bathrobe and a pair of slippers. His face was unshaven and his hair a disheveled mess. Sometimes, knowing he was being surveilled by the police, he would even urinate on the sidewalk to really hammer the point home! Before long, the feds as well as the press just dismissed him as an old mafia head being cared for by his underlings - Fat Tony was the real boss and the one who needed to be attended to.

"Baldy Dom" guiding a vacant-looking Chin Gigante on two separate occasions

Meanwhile, business was booming for the Genovese family. Always a well-disciplined and efficient family, they received two enormous boons to their already overflowing coffers in the early eighties. One was the construction of the Jacob K. Javits Center, a huge convention center which broke ground in Western Manhattan. The Genovese family, which controlled many construction unions, were basically able to name at will the mobbed up companies which would work on the center. Muscling out smaller, legally ran construction contractors (who were - more often than not - better qualified than their mobbed up counterparts), they were able to charge extravagant prices on all facets of the center's construction. In a similar vein, they also took over a project which was charged with replacing millions of windows in low-income family and project housing. Charging a tax of one to two dollars a window, the project generated millions of dollars for the four of the Five Families involved in the scheme. Venero "Benny Eggs" Mangano, a lieutenant in Chin's old Greenwich Village crew, and Gerard Pappa, a violent soldier and hitman, were the main contacts for the Genovese family in the windows racket, although Pappa would soon be murdered for the unauthorized slaying of a Colombo family associate. Assisting in the scheme's execution was Genovese family associate Peter Savino, who had connections with Local 580 of the Architectural and Ornamental Ironworkers Union which gave the family an "in" for the project.

Venero "Benny Eggs" Mangano

While all of this was going on, the feds were closing in on Fat Tony Salero. Not only that, but they were getting ready for the biggest mafia bust in the nation's history up to that point. They had in their sights four of the five perceived bosses of New York (the Bonannos exempted because they had been temporarily kicked off the Commission - for reasons we will get to later) as well as other important members of the families' administration and were ready to slap RICO charges on the lot of them. As mentioned, Fat Tony had been identified by the feds as the boss of the Genovese Crime family and they had every reason to believe so. He was still in a very visible position, his familiar seat outside of the Palma Boys Club, and looked, acted, and received the gratitude and traffic that a mafia boss was accustomed to getting. Fat Tony was old school and knew the risks involved with the front boss position - as well as knowing the risks would have been just as great as boss of any other family besides the Genoveses - and never disputed the fact that he was boss of the family. Fat Tony looked like a don; constantly chomping on his cigar, nattily dressed in the familiar gangster attire of suits and fedora. He even had the unique distinction of being named the nation's richest gangster by Forbes magazine! (Although something like that was almost entirely speculation.) "Chin" Gigante, dressed like a homeless man while shuffling along and urinating on the sidewalk, didn't fit the typical definition of "boss."

Fat Tony Being Hurried into a Waiting Car During the "Commission Trial" and "mug"shot

The trial (which was labeled "The Commission Trial") was a slam dunk for the feds: In 1986, Salerno, as well as three bosses and an assortment of other high-rankings mafiosos, were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms. As if losing a well-respected mobster such as Fat Tony wasn't enough, Gigante was rocked by another hard hit: Vincent "Fish" Cafaro, formerly of Fat Tony's old 116th Street Crew, had turned states' evidence and identified, to the shock of the public, that "Chin" Gigante was the real boss of the Genovese and that "Fat Tony" Salerno was only a cover. Even with this information, the feds were still hesitant to believe the Fish's testimony. Gigante had been identified by legitimate psychiatrists as a head case and looked and acted the part to boot. They would still need a little more convincing before they accepted "Chin" Gigante: crime family boss as truth.

"Chin" Gigante

Meanwhile, a fourth boss, "Big" Paul Castellano of the Gambinos, never made it to trial: John Gotti, a capo in the Gambino crime family, had made a move and violently disposed of Big Paul and his appointed underboss to take over the family for himself. Behind the scenes, Chin was furious at Gotti for the unsanctioned hit as well as his flamboyant style of leadership and affinity for media attention. By this point, Chin was probably the most powerful and well-respected boss in the country and he made his wishes clear to the other families: The Dapper Don has got to go!

The Dapper Don: John Gotti was a powerful boss but was despised by the rest of the Commission

 

[AA484]

The Genovese Crime Family, Part 4: Gigante Takes One on the “Chin”

Not a whole lot of pictures this time around, sorry.

Vincent Gigante may have appeared to the public and law enforcement to have been an incoherent, muttering head-case, but to members of the Genovese family and lieutenants in other crime families he was cunning, shrewd – and at times, ruthless – as evidenced when John Gotti and his co-conspirators engaged in an unsanctioned hit on then-Gambino boss Paul Castellano in December of 1985. Chin was furious that Gotti had not come to him for approval first (where he would have almost certainly been denied his request – no doubt being reported to Castellano in the process) and began to plot his retaliation with the new boss and underboss of the Luchesse crime family, Victor “Vic” Amuso and Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso, respectively (who, ironically enough, had secretly supported Gotti in his overthrow of the family). Gigante tasked the Luchesse mobsters with eliminating Gotti and his underboss, Frank DeCicco. Casso suggested the use of a bomb, to make it look like Sicilians had arranged the hit (Sicilians were notorious for their use of explosive devices in carrying out assigned killings – a tactic shied away from in the U.S. due to the risk of inflicting collateral damage on civilians).

In April, 1986, a bomb exploded as DeCicco was entering his car, blowing off most of his body below the waist and killing him instantly. A man resembling Gotti with DeCicco was most likely the catalyst for the detonation of the bomb but unfortunately for Gigante, Gotti had cancelled at the last minute. The matter was soon forgotten by Gigante, as Gotti had been indicted and was scheduled to go to trial in September of that year.

Bombing crime scene and "Gaspipe" Casso

Meanwhile, despite surface evidence indicating his mental incapacity as well as testimony from numerous doctors and physicians stating the same, the feds began to increase their surveillance on Gigante. They were hoping to collect evidence that would indicate Gigante was faking his condition and they started with upping the surveillance on his mistress’s house. They positioned an agent across the street from the rear of the apartment with a set of high-powered binoculars to spy on Gigante through open windows. The agent observed that Gigante, when eating meals or conversing with associates, would be dressed normally and act apparently coherent. He would read the newspaper and drink coffee on his own – a far cry from the man who could barely get out of his car without assistance.

The next step for the feds was to plant some type of electronic bugging device in the apartment. Their first few attempts failed, as agents placed one bug too near the loud hum of a refrigerator motor and accidentally punched a hole through the drywall while placing the second. After hastily repairing the wall, the agents regrouped and attempted another try but they were stymied by a couple spells of bad luck. The Jewish school which they had used as an observation post was now denying them access because an agent had accidentally triggered the alarm, angering the superintendent who had to appear in the middle of the night to disarm it. Additionally, Gigante had noticed the hasty patch job in the apartment and was now aware that the feds had been spying on him in the building (or were at least attempting to). From then on, Gigante kept all of the windows and curtains closed from prying eyes.

The big break for the feds in building their case against Gigante came in 1987 with the busting of a low-level drug dealer with connections to the Genovese family. In order to save himself and his girlfriend from lengthy prison sentences, the drug dealer took agents that same night to a warehouse where the Genovese family had earlier buried several bodies under the concrete floor during construction. At that time, the warehouse was owned by Peter Savino, Genovese family associate, family liaison to the big NYC windows racket, and, most importantly, a trusted confidant of Chin.

When approached by law enforcement to discuss his options, Savino knew the writing was on the wall: cooperate with the government against Gigante or go to jail for the rest of his life for aiding and abetting with several gang-related murders. Savino chose the former, and even agreed to wear a wire, hoping to catch Gigante, Mangano, and other high-ranking family members discussing the windows racket on tape. It was a deadly proposition, with certain death for Savino if discovered, but he was confident that Chin trusted him enough that he could get valuable information without being discovered.

He was right. Savino wore a wire from 1988 to 1990, gathering a treasure trove of evidence on tape which implicated a number of mobsters, including Gigante, underboss Benny Eggs Mangano (who had been promoted following the death of Sammy Santora the previous year), and Baldy Dom Canterino, now heading the Greenwich Village crew. Savino had been distrusted by Mangano and Anthony Casso (also named in the windows indictments) had even warned Gigante that an FBI mole on his payroll had informed him that Savino was a rat. Gigante, contrary to his normally overcautious nature, disregarded them all and had even considered inducting Savino into the family in the near future.

The Windows Case was the biggest case the feds had made against the mob since the Commission Trial and the Genovese family’s leadership was in turmoil. In 1990, Mangano was sentenced to fifteen years and Canterino never even made it to sentencing, dying of a heart attack during the trial. Meanwhile, consigliere Louis Manna had been caught on wiretap discussing another attempt on Gotti’s life and was hit with racketeering and murder conspiracy charges that same year. James “Little Guy” Ida would take over as consigliere once Manna received his 60+ year sentence (effectively life for the 60 year-old mobster).

Still, the trial wasn’t a complete slam dunk for the feds. Because there was still the matter of proving Gigante’s mental competency to stand trial to take care of, Chin was not tried with his cohorts. Now that he was on the big stage and fighting for his freedom, he was ready to turn the crazy act up to 10. He started things off by receiving his subpoena from agents fully clothed in a running shower, holding an umbrella.

 

[daileyxplanet]

This has been a tremendous read and I really think it should be on the site.

 

[AA484]

The Genovese Crime Family, Part 5: Downfall?

Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, boss of the Genovese crime family, had finally been arrested by the FBI in 1990, but while his many of his underlings were being sent off to serve long prison sentences, Chin’s trial was put on hold. Despite gathering significant surveillance and wiretap evidence proving otherwise, the feds were still stymied by the endless stream of doctors, physicians, and even members of the cloth (Vincent’s brother, Louis, was a Catholic priest and vehemently denied that Vincent was involved in any sort of criminal enterprise) testifying to the fact that since 1969, Gigante, a supposedly powerful crime boss, had been mentally insane.

For more than twenty years, Gigante had appeared in public in his bathrobe, shuffling down city streets and being helped into cars. His face was unshaved and he frequently babbled to himself or urinated in public. The feds had quite a chore before them in proving Gigante’s mental fitness to stand trial and they began by conducting their own tests. While Gigante was incarcerated awaiting trial he underwent several psychiatric evaluations. The results of the tests did not reveal any type of significant mental illness or disability but it still wasn’t enough to overcome years and years of other, equally qualified, diagnoses claiming otherwise.

Meanwhile, Gigante had left the crime family in the care of acting boss, Liborio “Barney” Bellomo, who at only 33 years-old had lived up to his potential as a future power in the family. Bellomo had run the imprisoned (and soon to die in 1992 of a stroke) Anthony “Fat Tony” Salerno’s old 116th Street crew for most of the preceding decade and had almost complete control over the Javits Convention Center racket, which would net millions in ill-gotten gains for the family. Using his control over several local carpenter unions to muscle in on the construction of the center, Bellomo was able to reward dozens of crime family members and associates with six-figure salaries resulting in more than half of the active carpenters working on the Javits construction center being involved in some way with the mob.

Barney Bellomo

Bellomo was assisted as acting boss by other, experienced Genovese crime family members who had managed to avoid indictment: James “Little Guy” Ida, the new consigliere of the family, who was heavily involved in unions and extorting thousands of dollars from the San Gennaro feast and festival. His predecessor, Louis “Bobby” Manna, had been caught on wiretap at a restaurant discussing a potential hit on Gambino boss John Gotti and was now serving a sixty year sentence in a federal penitentiary. Ida sought to counter this type of entrapment by only discussing family business on “walk talks” on crowded city streets and sidewalks. Also aiding Bellomo was Dominick “Quiet Dom” Cirillo, a longtime ally and advisor to Gigante who had even boxed with him in their more youthful days. Due to his experience and history with the imprisoned boss, Cirillo was a valuable advisor to the youthful Bellomo.

James Ida, and "Quiet Dom" Cirillo

While Bellomo was getting his feet wet as the acting head of the family, the official head had started to run into trouble. As the nineties progressed, several other families were also hit hard by indictments, including the Gambino and Lucchese families, and several high ranking mobsters decided to turn to the federal government rather than prison cells. Among them were Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, underboss of the Gambinos, along with Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso and Alphonse “Little Al” D’Arco, underboss and acting boss respectively of the Lucchese crime family. All provided damning testimony that they had witnessed in criminal meetings a lucid and coherent Vincent Gigante discussing murders, union takeovers, extortion rackets, and other federal crimes. When Gigante was finally brought to trial in 1997, the feds were now confident that they had enough information to put Gigante away at last. However, this did not stop Chin from continuing his act throughout the ensuing trial, frequently claiming that he was at a wedding and “wanted to see the bride”. The jury saw through the charade and Gigante was pronounced guily and sentenced to a dozen years in federal prison. His relatively light sentence was due to the fact that the murder and murder conspiracy charges had been unable to stick (potentially owing to the perceived unreliability as a witness of the vicious Gaspipe Casso, who had helped Gigante plan the failed Gotti hit).

Sammy the Bull, perhaps already contemplating his options

But prison bars did not stop Gigante from running his family. Using his son Andrew as an intermediary with the family, Gigante continued to relay orders and decrees from a Texas prison. At around the same time as Gigante’s trial, Barney Bellomo had been nailed with racketeering charges (also managing to avoid murder conspiracy charges) and was sentenced to twelve years. Cirillo took over as acting boss in the interim but lasted less than a year as heart problems forced him to resign, handing over the acting title to the newly freed “Matty the Horse” Ianniello, who had just finished his own seven-year stretch for racketeering. To rub salt in the Genovese family’s wounds, James Ida had been indicted along with Bellomo and was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment (Ida had not been able to shake the murder charges). Lawrence “Little Larry” Dentico, longtime caretaker of the Genovese family’s New Jersey interests, was appointed the new consigliere.

Matty the Horse and Lawrence Dentico

The family’s leadership was again in turmoil but Gigante and Bellomo were not serving life sentences (When asked how we was holding up in prison, Gigante reportedly answered "Nobody fucks with me here"!). The Genovese family was also the best organized and best led family in New York, and was able to draw upon its vast resources of wealth and manpower to continue to prosper while other families wilted. Known as the Rolls Royce of crime, the Genovese family continued to operate at the turn of the century as they traditionally had, “under the radar” and out of the limelight, and was able to continue to frustrate law enforcement with these methods. Stay tuned for the conclusion of the Genovese crime family saga, covering Chin’s final fall from power and the crime family’s operations and structure up to the present.

"The Genovese family remains the richest, most powerful, most secretive, and least damaged crime group."
- Barry W. Mawn, FBI New York Office (2001)

 

[AA484]

The Genovese Family in the 21st Century

Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, boss of the Genovese crime family, had just been sentenced to twelve years in a federal penitentiary in Texas. Rising star and former street boss for the family, Liborio “Barney” Bellomo, was currently serving his own twelve year stint. Other Genovese family heavyweights, such as Benny Eggs Mangano, Louis Manna, and James Ida, were also in the midst of long-term or life sentences. Quiet Dom Cirillo and Matty the Horse Ianniello were still on the streets but were aging and suffering from various health ailments. Yet at the turn of the century, the Genovese crime family continued to thrive and prosper for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, federal law enforcement attention had switched to counter terrorism and intelligence work. Less agents were assigned to organized crime and agents believed that the families, who had suffered significant losses in leadership in the latter half of the nineties, could be still be effectively managed and watched. However, the Genovese crime family, easily the most secretive and low-key of the Five Families of New York, took advantage of the decrease in federal surveillance to regain some of the ground lost when much of their leadership was put behind bars. Gigante continued to run the family through his son and messagero Andrew Gigante from behind bars in Texas.

Gigante's mugshot

However, the most important reason the Genoveses were still able to thrive was their almost unflinching adherence to the code of silence. With only four made members “flipping” in the history of the family, they were able to retain stability through Gigante’s trial and subsequent imprisonment. With a sizable source of manpower estimated at between 200 to 250 made-members, the family still had a significantly sized talent pool to pluck new leaders from. Additionally, a “ruling panel” had also been instituted upon Gigante and Bellomo’s imprisonments wherein influential capos in the family would gather together with the leadership hierarchy (similar to how Congress works with the President and his cabinet) to make important decisions regarding family business. This made it much more difficult for law enforcement to press specific charges, to a single individual let alone a boss.

The Genoveses did suffer one significant hiccup during this reorganizational stage: in 2002, Gigante was hit with more charges. Informants and wiretaps had given authorities enough information to charge him with continuing to run his family from behind bars as well as obstruction of justice charges for faking his mental condition to avoid indictment. In an unprecedented move for a boss, Gigante pleaded guilty to the charges, effectively admitting to faking his condition. As a result, only three years were added to his sentence and his son Andrew was saved from having to serve his own long prison term. Gigante’s projected release date was now 2012, when he would be 84 years old. Not long after, acting boss Matty the Horse was charged with several counts of extortion involving waste hauling and union infiltration and sentenced to three and a half years (he was supposedly arrested while watching Godfather: Part III. Daniel “The Lion” Leo would now assume the mantle of acting boss (while bosses could keep their titles while incarcerated, acting bosses were not afforded that luxury since their position was designed to be temporary anyway). Leo had cut his teeth in the seventies as a member of Harlem’s infamous Purple Gang and had risen through the ranks to become a powerful capo and member of the administrative panel.

Daniel "The Lion" Leo

Meanwhile, while Gigante had faked his mental health all those years to avoid attention, his physical health had long been a point of concern and he made dozens of visits to have checkups on his heart and actually had to have open heart surgery while in prison. After he received his second sentence, his heart began failing him before he was finally so weak that he had to be transferred to a federal prison medical facility and later, to a public one. In December of 2005, the twenty-four year long reign of the Chin came to an end as he died at the age of 77. Although imprisoned for the final eight years, Gigante’s reign was a fruitful one, as he was able to make millions for his family (both crime and personal) and was able to get several relatives employed as legitimate workers in high-earning positions. Vincent’s brother, Mario, is still a member of the family today.

Gigante’s death left a vaccum at the top of the Genovese family, one in which they were not eager to fill. The leadership of the family was much more comfortable with making the feds play the guessing game. Leo would continue to play the figurehead role of acting boss even after Gigante’s death and up until his own imprisonment on extortion and bookmaking charges in 2008, where he received a five year sentence – which brings us to another advantage that the Genoveses held over the other families: their refusal to murder (unless absolutely necessary) and actively deal in drugs. Recognizing that they still possessed the funds and influence necessary to engage in more “white collar” crimes (such as labor and union infiltration and bookmaking), they were able to avoid the heavier sentences that accompanied drug and violent crime charges. This ensured shorter sentences created an almost “revolving door” system of leadership: when one high-ranking member of the family went away, another one would be released to take his place. As it so happened, Barney Bellomo’s sentence ended the same year as Danny Leo’s jailing, and the former immediately reassumed the mantle of full-time street boss after a carousel of others had kept the seat warm for him while in prison.

Liborio "Barney" Bellomo, from an FBI surveillance photograph

Current Leadership

Boss
Since Gigante's death, law enforcement has not been able to recognize anyone as supreme boss of the family. Leo was released from prison in January of 2013 and is assumed to have resumed his role as acting boss, although this has yet to be confirmed. Liborio Bellomo, the current street boss, is presumed to wield the real power in the family and it has been suggested that the position of boss has been left vacant for the time being in order to confuse law enforcement.

Underboss
Venero "Benny Eggs" Mangano was released from prison in 2006 and returned to the position of full-time underboss. Considering his advanced age (91) and health problems, he is purported to be in semi-retirement and acting in an advisory capacity.

Consigliere
Lawrence "Little Larry" Dentico still holds the role of family consigliere, although sources are disputed on this front, possibly due to Dentico's age (he will be 90 in August) and recent prison stretch (three year stint from 2006-2009). If he is retired, there are no other candidates known to law enforcement sources.

Administrative Capos
Although an administrative panel is not confirmed to exist at this time, the Genovese family may still employ one to help aid in family decisions while the boss position remains vacant. Some of the more influential capos who may be on such a panel are: Dominick "Quiet Dom" Cirillo, still kicking at 83 years of age (although sources say he recently had to consent to the whacking of his own son due to an insult the latter made against a Bonanno family capo); John "Johnny Sausages" Barbato, involved in the corruption of many labor and construction unions in the city as well as extortion and loansharking; and Alan "Baldie" Longo, Brooklyn capo involved in stock manipulation and fraud. Another powerful (and ruthless) capo, Tino "The Greek" Fiumara, was also involved in past panels but died in 2010 after a long and feared history as a capo of a North Jersey Genovese crew. Matty the Horse Ianniello also died in August of 2012, less than a year after he was released from prison.

Local and federal law enforcement are still very respectful of the Genovese family and their capabilities. Many estimate that if the mob does finally fall, the Genoveses will be the last family standing, due in no small part to their continued influence in local labor and unions. The Genoveses are also very selective concerning new members and once they are inducted, many are not even aware of the organizational structure outside of their own crews. Communication between leadership and foot soldiers and associates is rare, if not non-existant, making it difficult for undercover agents or informants to infiltrate the family or gather incriminating information. The Genoveses reluctance to engage in violent crimes or drug dealing (with very rare exceptions) has also made it difficult to sentence family members with long prison sentences. As it now stands, the Genovese family is still very much a part of organized crime in New York City, and will continue to be so as long as their current administrative and organizational scheme is effective.

"The Genovese family is a very, very strong family. They're the most efficient family because they're so secretive. People within the family don't even know who each other are. They are very disciplined in their criminal plots and they keep their hit teams small. Infilatration by law enforcement is very difficult. They continue to use violence to ensure compliance. We haven't had widespread disruption of the Genoveses like we had with the other families. Gigante's secrecy permeated the ranks and it still exists. If someone in the Genovese family slips up, they're dead before you know it. - Dave Shafer, Head of FBI Organized Crime Program (2009)

Estimated Genovese family chart (the image is very large, so be aware when loading or zooming
Additionally, all credit for these charts should be given to "Mukremin", a poster over on the Gangsterbb forums who has put a lot of work into various family charts:

http://www.freeuploadshare.com/image/Genovese_Cosa_Nostra_Family.jpg

The chart also includes other useful information. "IP" means "imprisoned", "UI" is "under indictment." The date after "IP" is a projected release date while an "L" indicates a life sentence.

 

[AA484]

Still lots more to go, guys. Next, I will turn my attention to the Gambinos, probably the most famous of the Five Families of New York.

 

[AA484]

Genovese Crime Family Index

John "Johnny Sausage" Barbato: Acting Underboss (2003-2005/Imprisoned)

Liborio "Barney" Bellomo: Street Boss (1992-Present/Imprisoned 1996-2008)

Gerardo "Jerry" Catena: Underboss (1957-1972/Retired)

Dominick "Quiet Dom" Cirillo: Messagero (1981-1997/Promoted to acting boss), Acting Boss (1997-1998/Resigned for health reasons), Acting Street Boss (2003-2005/Imprisoned), Served on various administrative committees from 1998-2003

Frank "The Prime Minister" Costello: Consigliere (1931-1937/Promoted to Acting Boss when Vito Genovese fled the country), Acting Boss (1937-1946/Promoted when "Lucky" Luciano was deported), Boss (1946-1957/Resigned after Assasination Attempt planned by Vito Genovese)

Lawrence "Little Larry" Dentico: Consigliere (1997-Present/Imprisoned 2006-2009)

Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli: Acting Boss (1962-1965/Appointed "Front Boss" by new boss Philip Lombardo), Front Boss (1965-1972/Murdered)

Vito Genovese: Underboss (1931-1936/Promoted when "Lucky" Luciano was imprisoned), Acting Boss (1936-1937/Fled to Italy to Avoid Murder Charges), Underboss (1951-1957/Became Boss when Frank Costello resigned due to assasination attempt planned by Genovese), Boss (1957-1969/Imprisoned in 1959/Died in Prison)

Mario Gigante: Acting Street Boss (2005-2008/Demoted due to Bellomo's release from prison)

Vincent "Chin" Gigante: Underboss (1980-1981/Became boss when Philip Lombardo retired), Boss (1981-2005/Imprisoned in 1997/Died in Prison)

Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello: Acting Boss (1998-2005/Resigned after being indicted)

James "Little Guy" Ida: Acting Consigliere (1989-1990/Promoted to Consigliere), Consigliere (1990-1997/Imprisoned)

Daniel "Danny the Lion" Leo: Acting Boss (2005-2008/Imprisoned 2008-2013/2013-?)/Also served as part of administrative ruling committee at various times

Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo: Acting Boss (1965-1969/Became official boss upon death of Vito Genovese), Boss (1969-1981/Retired)

Charles "Lucky" Luciano: Boss (1931-1946/Imprisoned 1937-1946/Deported)

Venero Mangano: Underboss (1987-Present/Imprisoned 1991-2006)

Louis "Bobby" Manna: Consigliere (1981-1990/Imprisoned)

Michele "Mike" Miranda: Consigliere (1957-1972/Retired)

Guarino "Willie" Moretti: Underboss (1937-1951/Murdered)

Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno: Consigliere (1972-1975/Promoted to Underboss), Underboss (1975-1980/Promoted to Front Boss), Front Boss (1981-1986/Imprisoned)

Saverio "Sammy" Santora: Underboss (1981-1987/Died)

Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo: Acting Boss (1959-1962/Presumed Murdered)

Frank "Funzi" Tieri: Underboss (1972-1974/Promoted to Front Boss), Front Boss (1972-1980/Resigned after being indicted)

 

[AA484]

The wife of Liborio Bellomo (possible boss of the Genoveses) just passed away from cancer. Unfortunately for the family this will probably mean a circus of a funeral as they will want to get a look at who shows up to try and get some idea of a family hierarchy. Of course, Bellomo could just tell everyone to steer clear to avoid just such a circumstance.

 

[HSJ]

Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo: Acting Boss (1965-1969/Became official boss upon death of Vito Genovese), Boss (1969-1981/Retired)

 

[AA484]

We're back!!!

The Gambino Crime Family, Part 1

Gambino Crime Family Chart (right-click and "view image" to see it blown up

At the time of the Valachi Hearings in 1963, the Gambino Crime Family had solidified itself as the most powerful mafia family in the nation. The Genovese crime family, with its titular leader now imprisoned, was still extremely powerful but had retreated into the shadows to avoid further law enforcement attention. The Bonannos and the Profacis were basically pariahs in the Commission's eyes - infighting and ambitious scheming had weakened their respective families. The Luccheses were now staunch allies of the Gambinos - Lucchese boss Tommy Lucchese had wed his daughter to Carlo Gambino's eldest son, Thomas. Additionally, Lucchese had let the Gambinos in on two rackets which had traditionally been dominated by his family - the garment industry and Lufthansa Airport.

In addition to these two fresh sources of income, the Gambinos also had a virtual monopoly on waste carting in the city of New York. In the 1950's the city of New York stated that the city would only haul garbage for private residences - commercial buildings and properties now had to hire their own private waste haulers to remove their trash. The mafia had taken advantage of this and had so deeply infiltrated the trash hauling unions that it was virtually impossible to contract a waste hauler operating independently of the mob. Those that did were soon persuaded to do otherwise and the competition was intimidated and removed. The Gambinos especially were heavily involved in waste hauling and had already made millions of dollars in the venture by the early sixties.

New York was a city constantly under construction, so the Gambinos naturally infiltrated construction unions and companies in much the same manner as they had garbage. Bosses and captains could sit back and fill their wallets by inflating construction costs on the almost-constant projects at work throughout the city. Not to be overlooked was the traditional, "blue collar" sources of mob income; loan sharking, gambling, and extortion were tried and true methods of income and with hundreds of members (and thousands of associates) roaming the streets, the Gambinos were able to dip their fingers into many pots.

At the head of it all was Carlo Gambino. Ruthless, cunning, and shrewd, Gambino had clawed his way to the top of the family with an effective combination of brains and treachery. Killing Albert Anastasia in 1957 and taking over the family was only the first step in his rise to power. Vito Genovese, who had aided and supported Gambino in taking out Anastasia, was now seen as a threat to Gambino's power. Although never definitively proven, Genovese's arrest and subsequent imprisonment in 1959 has long been attributed to behind-the-scenes machinations by Gambino. With his only serious rival now behind bars, Gambino could completely focus on reigning supreme over the New York underworld. In a further show of power, Gambino had acting Genovese boss, Tommy Eboli, killed in 1965 for botching a lucrative intrafamily drug deal. Ironically enough, Gambino had issued a "deal or die" directive to the rest of his family, warning them to stay out of drug dealing - or else.

Carlo Gambino

Gambino didn't look the part of a powerful mafia boss - he resembled a grandfather more than a don. His two distinct features, a hooked nose and a constant smile, belied his true personality as one who could hold life or death persuasion over many men. Living with his wife in an unassuming house in Brooklyn, Gambino was rarely seen beyond his front gate. If someone had a problem in the family, they would personally visit Gambino at his home. As his reign progressed, Gambino's home came to be under constant FBI surveillance and wiretaps were eventually installed throughout the home. But despite all this, Gambino was never caught saying anything incriminating on tape; in fact, Gambino was rarely caught saying anything at all. His most trusted confidantes and lieutenants were able to effectively communicate with him using little more than code and simple movements or hand gestures, with their voices rarely coming above a whisper.

Gambino

Gambino surrounded himself with an effective administrative core to assist him in running the day-to-day family activities, allowing him to stay at home and avoid attention from law enforcement. At the time of the Valachi hearings, Joseph "Joe Bandy" Biondo was the family's underboss, although he was removed and shelved in 1965 for engaging in a sanitation racket with New Jersey boss Sam DeCavalcante - without sharing any of his income with the boss. His replacement was Aniello "Neil" Dellacroce, a stone cold killer whose icy gaze inspired fear in most men, law enforcement included. Dellacroce had done a lot of "work" (hits) for the Gambinos in his rise up the ranks, even being rumored to have committed some while dressed as a priest. Dellacroce was a gangster, through and through, and due to his reputation was trusted by Gambino to run the "blue collar" aspect of the family's activities - loan sharking, extortion, robbery, and, when necessary, murder. Dellacroce counted among his minions a man who would soon become his protege and a future force in the family - John Gotti.

Rare photo of Aniello Dellacroce and mob hanger-on Frank Sinatra

On the opposite end of the spectrum was the family's "white collar" rackets. Labor and union infiltration and corruption, construction rackets, stock manipulation, and money laundering could all be counted among the crimes of the family's white collar faction. Nominally led by capo "Big" Paul Castellano, this side of the family business was typically looked down upon by the blue collar faction, due in no small part to Castellano himself. As Gambino's first cousin and brother-in-law (it's an Italian thing), Castellano was seen as someone who hadn't "made his bones" in the family and had earned his position through familial ties and didn't like to get his hands dirty. Still, Castellano was a shrewd businessman, and had even launched his own poultry company, Dial Poultry. His son was also president of a concrete company and Castellano himself exerted control over Teamsters Local 282, which included concrete pourers.

Paul Castellano

Carmine "The Doctor" Lombardozzi was another huge source of income for the family. Like Castellano, Lombardozzi was considered more of a white-collar gangster, although he also dipped his hands into loan sharking and numbers running and his innate ability to generate money from almost any racket was a skill that nobody could dispute. Lombrdozzi was known as someone who could fence anything; if a crew had made a big score, Lombardozzi could quickly find a buyer for the materials and was typically able to sell them for top dollar, no doubt with the muscle of the family adding a little persuasion to the buyer's decision. Although a genius with numbers, Lombardozzi did make mistakes and his mishandling of funds for a Commission wide racket almost cost him his life. Additionally, at his father's funeral in 1963, his protege and nephew Danny Marino had severely beaten an FBI agent attempting to photograph the service. This brought intense heat down on the family and Gambino had been personally informed by the feds that no more agents were to be touched. Lombardozzi was ultimately blamed for his subordinate's lack of control, but still maintained his standing in the family (and the entire mob) as one of its top moneymakers.

Carmine Lombardozzi

As the seventies dawned, the Gambino family was riding high atop the New York underworld, but Gambino was nearing the twilight of his life and decisions he made would have a far-reaching impact on the family and it's future.

 

[AA484]

The Gambino Family, Part 2

In the early 1970's, Carlo Gambino and the family which bore his name were at the top of the underworld. While some families specialized in certain areas, the Gambinos had their hands in everything; illegal gambling, political corruption, extortion, robbery/hijacking, fraud, counterfeiting, infiltration of legitimate businesses, murders, money laundering and finally drug trafficking, a controversial subject among the bosses of the Five Families. Gambino had explicitly outlawed any members of his family from dealing in drugs, and although he almost assuredly collected some type of income from dealing, the risk was too great for everyone to be allowed to partake in it. The heavy sentences that typically accompanied drug trafficking charges (typically 15+ years) were also seen by the feds as a way to make deals and "flip" the accused, especially low-level soldiers and associates who were further down the food chain.

Sample of FBI report on the Gambino family from 1967

On the other hand, the profits garnered from the sale and distribution of drugs was immense. The Bonanno crime family had no such qualms about dealing in narcotics and flooded the streets of New York with heroin with the so-called "French Connection" and "Pizza Connection" schemes (which will be dealt with later). Other families saw the type of income made through drugs by the Bonannos and began clandestinely dealing them themselves, all with Gambino and the other bosses' death sentence edict hanging over their head like an anvil.

Gambino, under arrest and just waiting to be released for "health problems"

Meanwhile, Gambino himself was enjoying the almost total dominion he held over the New York underworld, including the influence and sway he held with and over the other Five Families. Tommy Lucchese had died in 1967 from an inoperable brain tumor without leaving a clear successor. Gambino and the Commission therefore decided to place Carmine "Mr. Gribbs" Tramunti at the head of the family, as he was seen as an unambitious and acceptable replacement and someone who likely wouldn't ruffle any feathers. After the gangland slaying of Tommy Eboli in 1972, Frank "Funzie" Tieri assumed control of the Genovese family (although Phil Lombardo actually wielded the real power) and it was no coincidence that he was also a Gambino ally. Joe Colombo, whom the Commission had rewarded with the old Profaci family in 1963, had brought too much attention to the mafia with his headline grabbing "Italian-American Civil Rights League" and was shot at a rally in 1971 (lingering in a coma seven years before finally dying), many say with the approval or even direct order of Gambino and the Commission (more on this later, too). The Bonannos had been kicked off the Commission in the late sixties due to internal squabbles and were therefore seen as a family in turmoil - no real competition or threat to Gambino.

Colombo, immediately after his shooting

Gambino's health also began to deteriorate around this time. Paul Castellano had acted as boss in Gambino's stead on several occasions due to the latter's recurring heart troubles, which always seemed to flare up when an investigation got underway. The feds had began to get deportation procedures for Gambino underway in the late sixties but every time they came close to acting, Gambino's doctors and physicians would give them troubling news concerning Gambino's health and inability to stand a hearing or deportation procedure. Gambino was aware of his own mortality and began to search for a successor, for which he didn't have to look far. His cousin, Paul Castellano, was already representing the family in certain situations and Gambino felt that he had the knowledge and the ability to assume the mantle of boss upon the old don's expiration.

One of the last photos of Gambino (third from right) before his death, posing with members of his family with Frank Sinatra (third from left) after a performance. Paul Castellano can be seen at the far left.

Castellano's designation as heir apparent to the family did not sit well with many members of the family, particularly those younger members of the blur collar faction of the family, who felt that underboss Aniello Dellacroce should be the rightful successor to Gambino. Among these members was John Gotti, at the time a street-level associate and protege to Dellacroce. Gotti, along with brothers Peter and Gene and childhood friend Angelo Ruggiero, were members of Carmine Fatico's Queens based crew headquartered in the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club on 101st Avenue in Ozone Park. In the late sixties and early seventies, Gotti had been in and out of jail for various offenses, including a three-year stint for hijacking cargoes of cigarettes from Idlewild Airport in 1968. Not long after his release in 1973, Gotti was given an assignment which would lead to his eventual making into the family. Carlo Gambino's nephew had been kidnapped, held for ransom, and eventually murdered by a gang of Irish hoodlums, including one James McBratney. Gotti, along with Ruggiero and Ralph Galione, were assigned by Dellacroce with the retaliatory hit on McBratney.

Fatico (left) and the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club

In a carelessly conceived plan, the three disguised themselves as detectives, complete with fake badges, and entered a Staten Island bar in which McBratney was known to frequent. Confronting McBratney, Gotti and his associates attempted to "arrest" him but McBratney saw through the ruse and resisted. At this point, Galione pulled a pistol and fired several shots into the ceiling, blowing their cover even further. One of the waitresses called the real police as McBratney was slowly being dragged toward the exit. Finally, Galione lost patience with the Irishmen and shot him three times, killing him. Gotti and company made their escape but not before being eyeballed by several witnesses. Charged with killing McBratney, Gotti and Ruggiero amazingly got off with only attempted manslaughter charges and were able to plea bargain down to a four year deal. Galione wasn't so lucky as he was seen as a loose cannon and was later murdered outside his apartment, either by members of the Gambino family or in retaliation for the McBratney hit.

McBratney, dead (left) and Gotti's mugshot after his arrest

While Gotti and Ruggiero were serving their sentences, Carlo Gambino died of natural causes in October of 1976. Castellano now assumed the mantle of boss, keeping Dellacroce on as underboss and continuing to allow him to hold mastery over the family's blue collar rackets, ostensibly as compensation for leapfrogging him. Dellacroce, being of the old school, dutifully obeyed. Joseph N. Gallo (known as such to differentiate him from "Crazy Joe" Gallo of the Colombos) had replaced "Staten Island Joe" Riccobonno in 1967 as consigliere and would remain in that position for Big Paul's administration. Gallo was another old hand who talked profanely and dressed simply, typically in a plain button-up shirt with jeans and a pair of tennis shoes.

Dellacroce (left) and Gallo (right)

"Big Paul" Castellano had taken over the most powerful and lucrative mafia family in the nation, with a good mix of experienced subordinates and ambitious up and comers. Whether or not he could keep the family at the top would remain to be seen.

"Big Paul"

 

[AA484]

The Gambino Family, Part 3

Paul Castellano had inherited the largest and most lucrative crime family in America upon his ascent to the top of the Gambino family in 1976. Veteran mobsters such as Neil Dellacroce and Joe N. Gallo were capable subordinates and Big Paul's rank and file was filled with legions of up and coming mobsters ready to prove themselves as soon as the books were opened up. For twenty years, the Commission had decided to "close" the book on allowing new members in the Five Families. There were a number of reasons for this with two of the main being to keep income-sharing to a minimum and to keep the quality of the family's members high. By the time the seventies rolled around, many older mafioso began to die off and new blood was needed to fill the empty ranks. Sometime in the mid to late seventies, the Commission agreed to reopen the books.

Castellano

This reopening coincided nicely with Castellano's rise to boss of the Gambinos. Thomas Gambino, Carlo's son and garment center racket mogul, was inducted in the first wave and was immediately promoted to captain in control of all Gambino interests in the garment district. John Gotti, as a reward for taking on the James McBratney hit, was inducted into the family upon his release and almost immediately assumed control of the Bergin crew as the original captain, Carmine Fatico, was nearing retirement and was in the midst of serving a five-year sentence for hijacking cargoes at JFK. Gotti's brother, Gene, and Angelo Ruggiero, Gotti's close friend were also inducted.

Gotti (left) and Ruggiero (right) outside the Bergin

Another rising star in the family was Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, who had started out as an associate of the Colombos before transferring over to the Gambinos. Gravano was a short and compact fireplug of a man, who spent his spare time boxing and lifting weights, earning him his sobriquet of the "Bull." He quickly established himself as a good earner and someone who was "multi-talented" in the ways of the mafia. Gravano quickly earned the respect of Castellano by whacking his brother-in-law, who had become addicted to cocaine and was seen as out of control. Although initially opposed to rubbing out his wife's brother, Gravano soon got over his reservations and consented to Scibetta's death. His body was never found. Gravano also endeared to the white collar sensibilities of Castellano, proving himself to be a capable earner who made millions in construction, particularly concrete, for himself as well as Big Paul.

A young, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano

Roy DeMeo was another Gambino associate who would earn his stripes in the late seventies. Under the supervision of Gambino capo Anthony "Nino" Gaggi, DeMeo soon put together a feared crew who specialized in many areas; car theft, drug trafficking, pornography, loan sharking, and especially, murder. DeMeo's crew consisted of Chris Rosenberg, whom DeMeo had known since Rosenberg's teens; the so-called "Gemini twins", Anthony Senter and Joseph Testa (who garnered their nicknames from the crew's headquarters, the Gemini Lounge); Henry Borelli, and DeMeo's cousin, Joseph "Dracula" Guglielmo. Although the crew was rumored to have killed 100 people (with some estimates reaching 300), at the very least their count reached into the upper thirties. A gruesome, but effective, method of disposal was usually employed. The victim was lured, with or without their consent, into the lounge where they were quickly dispatched with a pistol shot to the back of the head. A towel was immediately wrapped around the head to staunch the blood flow and the victim's body was carried to the back, where it would be hung upside down to drain, but not before plunging a knife into the heart to speed the exit of blood from the body. After a suitable amount of time, the body was dismembered with the various parts wrapped in garbage bags and placed in boxes. The remains were then transported to one of the city's numerous dumps where they would be lost with the thousands of tons of trash daily deposited at the site.

The Gemini Lounge and Roy DeMeo

DeMeo was also able to cultivate a working relationship with the preeminent Irish gang of the area, the Westies. Operating out of the infamous Hell's Kitchen and headed by Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone, DeMeo recruited the Westies as hitmen and drug traffickers for the Gambinos. Big Paul approved of the move, which eventually became the catalyst behind DeMeo's making. Although explicitly outlawed by Castellano, Gaggi never mentioned to his superior about DeMeo's dealings in neither narcotics or hardcore pornography, practices frowned upon by Castellano. Gaggi, although not approving of those activities either, also let DeMeo slide as long as the envelopes of cash kept coming.

"Nino" Gaggi and Jimmy Coonan

Big Paul was riding high as boss. Building a stately Staten Island mansion (nicknamed the "White House") on Todt Hill, which overlooked the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, Castellano lived like a king. With complex motion detected security systems and ferocious Doberman pinscers prowling the grounds, Castellano felt secure enough in his abode to hold regular meetings with his subordinates. Dellacroce, Gallo, Nino Gaggi, Tommy Gambino, and other high-ranking Gambino family members made regular trips to the White House to discuss family business. Another member of the family who Paul had taken a particular liking to was Tommy Bilotti, a brutish, baseball bat wielding loan shark who acted as Big Paul's driver and bodyguard. Seen as little more than a lapdog by the other members of the family, Bilotti was a stark contrast to the white collar image that Big Paul seemed to be wanting to promote. Castellano had cultivated relationships with several legitimate businessman, including Frank Perdue, owner of Perdue Farms, a chicken processing company, and Jules Miron, a legitimate construction contact whom the family used to funnel money through. Although Paul seemed to abhor the blue collar side of the gangster life he was not hesitant to dirty his hands in certain situations, particularly concerning his daughter Connie. On two separate occasions, Paul had ordered the murder of a boyfriend and a husband; the former for mockingly suggesting that Castellano resembled the (coincidentally) bird-faced Frank Perdue of Perdue Farms fame and the latter for habitually abusing Connie. Neither were ever seen again after these transgressions.

Big Paul's mansion (modern day) and Tommy Bilotti

Despite the occasional hiccups in business, Castellano and the Gambinos were still firmly ensconced atop the criminal underworld. Unfortunately, the early eighties would unveil a plethora of problems for Big Paul as several of his new subordinates, particularly Gotti and DeMeo, began to cause legal trouble which would be felt by Castellano and force him to make decisions which would have far-reaching consequences as the decade progressed. But perhaps the worst misfortune to befall Castellano was the FBI's infiltration and subsequent bugging of his home and criminal headquarters, which would unveil damning and embarrassing evidence against Paul concerning his criminal life and personal life, respectively.

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

He probably banged dudes.

 

[AA484]

The Gambino Crime Family, Part 4

By 1983, the Gambino family had reached a crucial point in their history. The cash was still rolling in by the hundreds of millions but several legal problems had beset the family, particularly the boss, Paul Castellano.

The FBI had been looking for a way to infiltrate Big Paul's stately Staten Island mansion and after months of surveillance had finally devised a plan. Big Paul rarely left the home and when he did, his wife and maid were usually still present. Dobermans patrolled the grounds and closed circuit surveillance cameras held 24 hour dominion over activity on the grounds. If the agents couldn't conventionally plant the bug they would have to take an unconventional approach. The plan involved agents secretly disconnecting the cable television wires to Big Paul's house, after which another group of agents came calling disguised as cable repairmen. Paul gladly welcomed them into the house where the agents clandestinely installed bugs in the baseboards and floorboards. Paul even approached one of the agents about repairing a telephone which had been on the fritz. The agent gladly acquiesced and returned a few days later to fix the phone, as well as to install another listening device. Contrarily, the agents in charge of the project, Andris Kurins and Joe O'Brien, later claimed that they had drugged the dogs and snuck into the house to plant the bug in a lamp in Castellano's kitchen while the family was asleep. This risky method has since been considered to be an embellishment of the truth used by the duo in their book on the bugging.

Paul Castellano, Boss of the Gambinos

Regardless of the method used, the information collected from the tapes proved to be a goldmine of information. More than 600 hours of taped conversations caught Big Paul and several of his underlings discussing criminal activities ranging from labor racketeering to union infiltration. Not only that, but the agents discovered other secrets about Castellano's life, and not just his criminal one. Some of the recordings revealed that Paul had become disenfranchised with his wife, Nina. The two rarely conversed and when they did an air of hostility typically surrounded the conversations. While Paul had lost much of Nina's affection, he had gained affection in the form of his house maid, a Colombian immigrant by the name of Gloria Olarte. The two were often overheard flirting with each other and Paul oftentimes would engage in conversation of a sexual nature, which was reciprocated by Gloria. The bug even revealed an even more embarrassing fact - Paul had received a penile implant. Due to impotence resulting from diabetes, Paul had been unable to maintain a full erection. In order to please his new love interest, he had flown to Florida with his driver and bodyguard Tommy Bilotti to vacation, but also to have a metal rod inserted into his penis to help with his erectile dysfunction.

This information became very controversial after it was published by Kurins and O'Brien. Typically, agents listening to bugs were to switch the tapes off if a conversation was unlikely to contain any explicit criminal or unlawful subject matter. Kurins and O'Brien defended their decision by claiming that the information was useful to the eventual success of the investigation but it created such a furor that they were forced to resign from the FBI, although they were allowed to keep any resulting royalties from their book.

Kurins and O'Brien were also able to use information obtained from the bug to discover the location of a Mafia Commission meeting. Setting up shop a few houses down from the planned meeting site, the agents were able to snap photographs of several mafia big wigs leaving the meeting, including the final one to step outside the house, Paul Castellano. These photos would prove to be crucial in the ongoing investigation which would eventually lead to the Mafia Commission Trial of 1986.

Concurrent to the FBI's investigation on Castellano, the New York Police Department was conducting their own investigation concerning Paul's alleged role as the supervising head of a car theft ring led by Gambino soldier and prolific killer Roy DeMeo. The DeMeo crew, as we have seen, was one of the most feared team of killers in the New York underworld. Not only were they proficient and ruthless hitmen, but they also proved particularly adept at stealing cars. DeMeo became associated with a Kuwaiti businessman who offered to purchase stolen cars from DeMeo and ship them overseas to sell in the Middle East. DeMeo's crew would steal the cars from the street, replace the VIN numbers with cheap phonies and store them in a warehouse prior to loading them on a freighter bound for the Middle East. If anyone got in the crew's way, including the Kuwaiti's former business partner who refused to be involved in the plot, they were eliminated. The crew were also heavily involved in the drug trade, a strict no-no under current Mafia "rules" although one conveniently allowed if the money was right. Nino Gaggi, capo supervising the crew's activities, stayed quiet about the drugs as long as DeMeo was kicking up enough money.

DeMeo (right), flanked by crew member Joey Testa (left, facing camera)

Unfortunately for DeMeo, his protege, Chris Rosenberg, had gotten heavily involved with Cuban cocaine dealers and bungled a big drug trade, murdering some of the Cuban dealers and keeping the drugs for himself. The Cubans contacted Castellano and were told that the matter needed to be dealt with or they would make problems on the street for the Gambino family. Since Chris was Jewish and not a made member, Paul ordered Gaggi and DeMeo to "take care of the situation". Reluctantly, after much delay, DeMeo finally carried through with the hit, but not before publicly murdering an innocent vacuum salesman after suspecting him to be a Cuban hitman sent to kill him.

A younger Chris Rosenber

DeMeo was now on Paul's hot seat for his reckless killing of a civilian and if that weren't bad enough, his car theft ring had been busted. Port authorities had noticed several automobiles showing tell-tale signs of auto theft (broken trunk locks, crudely stamped VIN numbers) waiting to be loaded onto one of the Kuwaiti's freighters. This was enough to put DeMeo crew member Henry Borelli in jail as well as to flip another crew member, Vito Arena, over to the side of the law. However, the real turning point in DeMeo's fortunes came with the arrest and subsequent "flipping" of Gambino associate Dominick Montiglio, nephew and bagman for Nino Gaggi. Montiglio claimed that Gaggi collected proceeds from the auto theft ring and sent a share of the earnings to the Gambino boss, Paul Castellano. He was also able to provide information on several other crimes committed by DeMeo's crew and although he never actively participated in any, he also provided the feds with information concerning missing persons presumed to be killed by DeMeo and his crew. Corroborating this evidence with Arena's and Freddy DiNome, another DeMeo crew informant, the authorities were able to build a case not only against Gaggi and the DeMeo crew, but against Big Paul himself!

Anthony "Nino" Gaggi mugshot (left) and Big Paul's 1984 arrest mugshot (right)

However, Castellano was not too concerned. There were enough layers between himself and DeMeo that the case would be a tough one to prosecute. Castellano also made things easier on himself by ordering DeMeo's elimination, as he was being increasingly viewed as someone not able to stand up to the stress of a long trial. In January of 1983, DeMeo's body was found in the trunk of his car, frozen stiff. The rest of the DeMeo crew members were eventually rounded up and sentenced to long terms. Gaggi himself was later convicted in the auto theft trial and sent to prison, where he died of a heart attack in 1988. Paul himself never made it to trial. His current legal troubles were problem enough, but the problem Big Paul needed to worry about the most came not from the feds or the police, but from his own family. John Gotti was ready to make his move.

DeMeo crime scene

Gotti - ready, willing and able to assume the throne

 

[AA484]

For better or for worse, John Gotti was an extremely influential figure in the history of organized crime. As such, I may try and bang another piece out before the end of the day.

 

[AA484]

The Gambino Crime Family, Part 5

Paul Castellano's trouble with John Gotti had long festered and had risen to a boiling point by the time 1985 arrived. The genesis of the discontent coincided with Aniello Dellacroce, longtime underboss of the Gambino family, being passed over as boss of the family by Paul Castellano in 1976. Castellano was viewed by Gotti and other street guys as someone who had never paid his dues and had risen to the top of the family through nepotism. But if Neil Dellacroce felt miffed at being passed over he never publicly announced it. He was Cosa Nostra through and through and believed that the boss was the boss. End of discussion. Castellano even managed to placate Dellacroce to a certain extent, giving him charge over the family's blue collar rackets and crews (essentially a family in and of itself). However, these things did nothing to stop his underlings from being upset at having to serve under the "Pope" as Castellano was sometimes derisively called behind his back.

Gotti (left) and Dellacroce (right)

By 1980, John Gotti had become captain of the Bergin crew and ran major loan sharking and bookmaking accounts from the groups headquarters at the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club in Queens. He reported directly to Dellacroce who began to view Gotti as a sort of protege and someone who would take over for the old man once he retired or died. Another racket Gotti's men became involved with was drugs. Similar to how DeMeo's crew was operating at the time, Gotti's crew clandestinely dealt the drugs behind Castellano's and Dellacroce's respective backs. The three men most heavily involved in the Bergin's drug dealing were Angelo Ruggiero, childhood friend of Gotti's, Gene Gotti, younger brother of John, and John Carneglia. All three had entered into the heroin trade with Salvatore Ruggiero, younger brother of Angelo. Salvatore had become a wanted fugitive and managed to avoid the law enforcement's clutches for six years before dying in a plane crash in 1982. Upon learning of his brother's death, Angelo also became aware of a large stash of heroin Sal had hidden in his house. He, Gene, and Carneglia obtained the heroin and commenced selling it.

Gene Gotti (left) and Angelo Ruggiero (right)

Meanwhile, Gambino family informants, including Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson, another childhood friend of John Gotti's, had tipped the FBI off concerning illegal activities stemming from the Bergin club. Ruggiero was deemed a particularly tempting target since he had a reputation for never shutting up, earning the nickname "Quack Quack". In 1981, the feds infiltrated Ruggiero's home and tapped his daughter's "Princess" phone which operated on a separate line from the main house phone; informants advised the FBI that Ruggiero talked on this line believing that the feds would never wiretap a little girl's phone. Ruggiero disgorged a mountain of incriminating evidence over the phone; gambling, loan sharking, and most importantly, drug dealing. Additionally, information obtained through the Ruggiero bug had been used to achieve permission to bug Castellano's house. After recording Ruggiero's conversations for three years the feds removed the bug and word soon got around that the feds were preparing indictments based on the tapes obtained from the Princess phone bug. Ruggiero was understandably upset at the news and rightly feared that Castellano would call for his head. Once Ruggiero was formally charged, his lawyer managed to receive copies of the tapes which Castellano then immediately demanded. Killing a made man was serious business and definitive proof would be needed before carrying out a hit on a family member. However, Dellacroce stalled Castellano, knowing that not only would Ruggiero's head be on the chopping block but John Gotti's may be as well for allowing the dealing to occur on his watch.

Soon, Gotti began to fill Dellacroce's ear with treasonous thoughts, offering to kill Paul and annoint Dellacroce as head of the family with himself as underboss. Dellacroce continued to broker peace but it was soon discovered that he was operating on borrowed time; in 1985, he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. To make matters worse, he had been indicted along with Castellano on the Commission trial. Joseph N. Gallo, consigliere of the family, was also indicted around this time for attempting to bribe prison officials in order to move his son, in prison over drug charges, from an Atlanta facility to the Big Apple. The Gambino family's leadership, along with that of the other Five Families, was in turmoil, and Castellano made steps to stabilize the administration should he and his cohorts be jailed. Thomas Gambino, son of Carlo and scion of the family's garment center extortion racket, was to take over as acting boss, while Tommy Bilotti, Castellano's thuggish bodyguard and chauffeur, would be appointed underboss after Dellacroce's death or imprisonment, whichever came first.

Castellano and some of his more loyal followers. Thomas Gambino is at the far left, standing next to him in the gray jacket is Tommy Bilotti

This was the final slap in the face to Gotti, as Gambino was viewed as another who had failed to pay his dues and Bilotti was seen as a brainless thug. Dellacroce was already a dying man by the time he was indicted and formally charged with racketeering in the Commission case and Gotti need only wait until his passing to hatch his plot. At that point, his protection would be lost and it would be "kill or be killed". Meanwhile, he began cultivating relationships with other members of the family to gain their assistance and/or approval for the hit. "Sammy the Bull" Gravano was on board as was capo Frank DeCicco, both influential Gambino members heavily involved in construction unions. Robert "DiB" DiBernardo, owner of a huge pornography racket and Joseph "Piney Joe" Armone, an aging capo so named because he was caught stealing Christmas trees as a youth, were also receptive to Gotti's scheming. Collectively, they were known as the "Fist".

Joseph Armone (left) and Frankie DeCicco (right)

On December 2, 1985, Dellacroce died of complications stemming from his lung cancer. As one final act of disrespect, Castellano refused to attend the wake, fearing the heat it would bring on him while he was awaiting trial for the Commission case and the DeMeo car theft ring. Gotti was now ready to strike. Frankie DeCicco set up a meeting between himself, Castellano, Bilotti, and fellow capos Tommy Gambino, James "Jimmy Brown" Failla, and Daniel Marino at Sparks Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan, under the guise of discussing future business plans for the family. Meanwhile, Gotti and Gravano would be parked across the street and would signal four hidden gunmen, dressed in trench coats and Russian-style "ushanka" hats, upon the arrival of Castellano and Bilotti. Ruggiero headed a team of backup shooters further down the street.

Sparks Steakhouse

On the evening of December 16, 1985, Tommy Bilotti parked his car at the curb in front of Sparks steakhouse. As he and Castellano exited the car, they were set upon by Gotti's team of hitmen, who pumped round after round into both men until they crumpled to the ground. Several more shots were fired at close range into their heads and faces for insurance before the gunmen ran back down the streets to their waiting get away cars. Gravano and Gotti pulled out of their spot across the street and executed a u-turn passed the scene of the crime, with Gravano slowly passing Bilotti's lifeless body lying face up in the middle of the street. Gravano looked at Gotti and exclaimed "He's gone." Gotti nodded and Gravano stepped on the gas and sped off down the street.

Bodies of Castellano (left) and Bilotti (right)

 

[AA484]

The Gambino Crime Family, Part 6

John Gotti ended Paul Castellano's reign as boss of the Gambino crime family in a hail of gunfire outside of Sparks Steakhouse in late December, 1985. Gotti was now poised to take the reigns himself, but first he called a meeting of all the family's capos in January of 1986, chaired by consigliere Joseph N. Gallo. Gotti proclaimed that himself, Gallo, and Frankie DeCicco would now be ruling the family as a three-man panel and that a search was currently underway to find the killers of Castellano and Bilotti! However, everyone knew that Gotti was effectively using the meeting to proclaim himself as boss of the family and the ruling panel was never given another thought. To replace the dead Bilotti, Gotti appointed co-conspirator Frank DeCicco to serve as underboss, while Gallo, still awaiting trial on his RICO charges for interstate bribery, would stay on for the moment as consigliere.

Gotti, new boss of the Gambinos

At the time of Gotti's coup, the Gambino family was arguably the top family in New York organized crime. The Genovese family preferred to stay behind the scenes and took a more low key approach to conducting their business. The Gambinos were a more brash and showy family, not afraid to deal drugs or murder if necessary, as was seen by the very public murder of their former boss. Gotti's ascent to the throne only enhanced the Gambino family's image to the public and the press. Always nattily attired, Gotti was a very public presence in his home neighborhood of Ozone Park and made it a point for the family's captains to personally pay a monthly visit to his headquarters at the Bergin. This would prove to be a detriment to Gotti in the future.

Gotti was also brash and never one to shy away from media attention. In April of 1986, mere months after taking control of the family, Gotti was set to go on trial for assaulting a truck driver in 1984. The driver had complained that Gotti's illegally parked car was preventing his truck from leaving and had verbally confronted Gotti and his entourage in an effort to have them move the vehicle. Not knowing at the time that he was dealing a Gambino family capo, the driver received a beating at the hands of Gotti and his goons. By the time Gotti stood trial, his public status as a crime boss was well-known to the city of New York and the truck driver recanted his statements on the stand, claiming that he could not remember what his assailant looked like. Gotti was acquitted and strode beaming out of the court room to the flash of cameras and a barrage of questions from reporters. It would not be Gotti's last victory against the government.

Meanwhile, Gotti's murder of a boss did not sit well with other members of the Commission, particularly Vincent "Chin" Gigante, boss of the Genovese crime family. Although Gotti had spuriously claimed to have gotten "permission" from representatives of the other five families to kill Castellano, Gigante was outraged at the murder of his ally and at Gotti's brazen display of leadership. Gigante contacted the Lucchese crime family boss, Vittorio "Vic" Amuso, and his underboss, Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso and with the suggestion of murdering Gotti. Casso, who had actually supported Gotti's decision to kill Castellano, now agreed to help Chin with carrying out the hit on Gotti.

Gigante, labelled as "2" and "Gaspipe" Casso

The plan, as described earlier in the Genovese family section, was to detonate a bomb in Gotti's car after a Gambino sitdown. Bombs were generally not used by the American mafia as the potential for harming civilians was too great, so Chin believed that the Gambinos, if they were to retaliate, would not look to the Genovese family as potential perpetrators. Unfortunately for Chin, the man Casso had assigned to detonate the bomb mistook a Gambino family associate as Gotti (who had cancelled his scheduled appearance at the meeting) and detonated the bomb, killing Frankie DeCicco instead. The violent explosion ripped DeCicco's body apart, leaving next to nothing left from his waist down. Gotti was initially very angry at the death of his underboss but more pending legal troubles eventually distracted him any potential mob warfare that may have ensued.

DeCicco and the scene of the bombing

Gotti appointed Joseph "Piney Joe" Armone to replace DeCicco as underboss, much to the displeasure of Angelo Ruggiero, still awaiting trial for charges stemming from the infamous "Princess phone" tapes. In fact, Ruggiero was looked at by Gotti as someone who brought to much attention to himself by his incessant chattering, his nickname was "Quack Quack", and was seen as someone who could not be trusted in such a high leadership position. Nevertheless, Ruggiero and capo Sammy Gravano had gotten in Gotti's ear about Robert "DiB" DiBernardo, a Gambino family capo who ruled a vast empire of pornographic shops and distribution centers, and his perceived disillusionment with the Gotti administration. DiBernardo was a rival of Ruggiero's and Gravano's but was not particularly disliked by Gotti (he was a co-conspirator in the coup against Castellano), but the boss could not begin to let his subordinates speak ill of him behind his back. Gravano lured DiBernardo to the basement of his Brooklyn office where he was shot in the back of the head by one of Gravano's men.

DiBernardo (left) and Gravano (right, with Gotti close behind)

Concurrent to the DiBernardo murder, Gotti was set to stand trial for racketeering charges pending from an investigation conducted while Gotti was still capo over the Bergin crew. Along with brother Gene and other members of the Bergin crew, Gotti was set to go on trial in September of 1986. Gotti entered the courtroom resplendent in his well-tailored suit with matching tie and pocket square. With his aggressive defense attorney Bruce Cutler by his side, Gotti was supremely confident in the outcome of the trial, and was frequently seen with a cocky smirk on his face. The trial was a sensation in the press and Cutler was able to rattle inexperienced prosecuting attorney, Diance Giacalone, even calling a witness to the stand to testify that Giacalone had bribed him with her panties if he would agree to be a witness for the prosecution in the trial! Gotti had other reasons to feel confident in the trial. Sammy Gravano had managed to reach out to a jury member, George Pape, who happened to be associated with Bosko Radonjich, Serbian boss of the mostly Irish Westies gang. Pape agreed to accept a $50,000 bribe in exchange for a not-guilty vote. To the frustration of the other jury members, Pape stolidly supported his decision until the exasperated jury was forced to acquit Gotti and his associates of all charges in March of 1987.

Bosko Radonjich and Bruce Cutler (left, with Gotti)

Gotti left the courthouse a free man and he now, in addition to his previous moniker of the "Dapper Don", he was bestowed with a new one, the "Teflon Don." But little did Gotti know that the third time would not be a charm, as a high-ranking family member was ready to send the entire Gotti empire crumbling down around him.

The "Teflon" Don

 

[AA484]

The Gambino Crime Family, Part 7

Gambino family boss John Gotti had beaten two trials and had subsequently been dubbed the "Teflon Don" by the press. Gotti, never one to shy away from the limelight, embraced his role as the media's underworld darling. Gotti could be seen at all the hot nightspots in downtown New York, always with a retinue of consistent cronies tagging along close behind. Celebrities, including Mickey Rourke and Anthony Quinn, wanted to meet him, get his autograph, and even have photographs taken with the "Dapper Don". Gotti also met Lisa Gastineau, estranged wife of New York Jets star defensive end, Mark Gastineau, and quietly began a secret affair with her. This was after Gotti had already kept a long-term mistress on the side in Shannon Grillo, daughter of the deceased Aniello Dellacroce, former underboss and Gotti mentor.

Images of Gotti out on the town

While Gotti was riding high, things didn't look too swell for the rest of the family. In 1987, Joseph N. Gallo, consigliere of the family, and Joseph Armone, who had been appointed underboss after Frankie DeCicco was blown up, were indicted on racketeering conspiracy charges and eventually sentenced to 10 and 15 years, respectively. Gotti's new mandate prohibiting plea bargains of any kind denied the seventy year-old Armone a chance to spend one last Christmas with his family - he eventually died in prison four years later. Gallo would serve seven years of his sentence before being released in 1995. He would die less than a year later. Gotti appointed Frank Locascio, capo of a Bronx crew specializing in gambling and loan sharking, as acting underboss for Piney Joe Armone. As consigliere, Gotti appointed Sammy Gravano, who was fast rising in stature among the family and in the underworld scene in general. Building a small fortune for himself through his construction ventures, Gravano had also proved to be adept at murder - nineteen in total - and was fast gaining the trust of Gotti.

Armone (left) and Gallo (right)

Gotti's brother, Gene, and John Carneglia had managed two mistrials on their heroin distribution charges, but were finally convicted in 1989 (despite their best efforts at jury tampering) and sentenced to 50 years in prison, although they are eligible for parole in 2018. Gotti's refusal to allow Gambino family members to plea bargain and admit to their roles in the criminal enterprise known as the Gambino family had just sent two highly capable subordinates to jail for several decades longer than a guilty plea would have garnered. Angelo Ruggiero had been severed from the case when it became disclosed that he was suffering from terminal lung cancer. The once heavyset Ruggiero had now shrunk to a rail-thin 145 pounds and could not even leave his hospital bed, where a recalcitrant Gotti had refused to even visit his dying childhood friend. Gotti believed that Ruggiero had brought too much heat down on the family by being caught on tape, effectively igniting the entire feud against the Castellano faction of the family. Ruggiero died in December, 1989, and Gotti reluctantly attended the wake, although he never forgave his former friend for the problems he had caused.

John Carneglia (left) and Gene Gotti (right) leaving court

Ironically enough, Gotti, who had disowned his former top lieutenant for gabbing, was now making a spectacle out of his daily visit to his new headquarters, the Ravenite in Little Italy, Manhattan. It had formerly served as Dellacroce's headquarters and Gotti deemed it a fitting tribute to his mentor that he would now claim the social club as his new home base. Gotti's former digs at the Bergin club in Queens were left in the care of older brother Peter, a slow-witted former cocaine dealer who was not highly looked upon or respected by the family. Now firmly ensconced at the Ravenite, Gotti made it a point to have all capos, even ones operating as far away as Hartford, Connecticut, to pay tribute on a weekly basis. As the feds were already well aware of the Ravenite's history as a mob hangout, they already had agents eyeing the spot 24/7 and only increased their surveillance once it was learned that Gotti had relocated there. Now that Gotti was making it a requirement for capos to see him weekly, the Gambino Task Force now had faces to go with a lot of names and had been able to identify almost the entire upper crust of the Gambino family. The task force even managed to install a bug at the Ravenite, although the constant chatter, loud radios and television sets, and the incessant droning of a nearby vending machine made it impossible to decipher any meaningful correspondence, particularly from Gotti, who spoke loudly enough when he wanted to be heard but often conversed in whispers when discussing family business.

Current view of the now mob-free Ravenite (with the red and white striped polls)

In the interim, Gotti had also "made" his son, John A. "Junior" Gotti, and promptly appointed him capo of his own crew of hooligans. Junior had been arrested several times already for petty crimes such as fighting and public disturbances, incidents which the elder Gotti glossed over but which the majority of the family found embarrassing and a portrayal of his immaturity and inexperience. Junior was made and a captain at only twenty-five years old - unheard of in the mafia - and his sponsor was Sammy Gravano, in a transparent attempt by Gotti to avoid charges of nepotism. Also at this time, Gotti had been informed that his life was in danger as members of the Genovese family had been taped and charged with conspiring to murder Gotti. Gotti laughed it off but took it serious enough to call a sitdown with Vincent "Chin" Gigante, boss of the Genovese family, and Victor Amuso and Anthony Casso, boss and underboss of the Lucchese family. All parties agreed to set aside their differences for the sake of business, and Gotti even boasted to Chin of the recent making of his son, which elicited a regretful response from Chin, who chose to keep his sons out of the family and immune from the law.

John A. "Junior" Gotti

Meanwhile, tapes which had recorded old conversations from the Bergin club had surfaced and revealed that Gotti had ordered the assault of John O'Connor, a union leader who had foolishly trashed a Gambino-affiliated restaurant which had been constructed with nonunion labor. The Gambinos had contracted the Westies gang to send a squad of goons to lay a beating on O'Connor, which amounted to three bullet wounds in the legs and buttocks. Gotti's implication came in the form of a statement he made at the Bergin, which was transcribed as "We're gonna, gonna bust 'im up", allegedly referring to O'Connor. As state prosecutors were the ones responsible for the case, the feds were somewhat displeased over what they believed was a weak case. They were trying to build a solid one based on surveillance and wiretapping of the Ravenite and believed that if Gotti were to beat his third case in four years it would adversely affect their own case.

Gotti and Guerrieri, co-defendants in the O'Connor trial (note Gotti's Radiers jacket!)

As it stood, Gotti was brought to trial with Anthony Guerrieri, Gotti crony who was charged with relaying the request to the Westies. The case was a relatively weak one, with the prosecution's two main witnesses being James McElroy, a murderous drug dealer and former Westies member currently serving his own hefty sentence, and Vincent "Fish" Cafaro, Genovese family turncoat which Chin had warned Gotti about at their previous meeting. Once again, Gotti's two attorneys, Bruce Cutler and Gerald Shargel, led a spirited defense of their client, portraying the witnesses as unreliable criminals who only agreed to take the stand to further their own agendas. The tapes themselves were seen as ambiguous in the eyes of many, and Cutler rightly pointed out that they weren't strong enough to even give the law the leeway to warn O'Connor of his peril, which they are required by law to do if someone is threatened or purported to be physically harmed. The jury agreed and Gotti was acquitted on all charges. The Teflon Don had once again triumphed, but the Feds were building a case in which they believed there would be no escape, regardless of his seeming immunity to prosecution.

Gotti was three for three so far against the government, but his laughing days would soon be at an end

 

[AA484]

Anyone still reading these? There are tons more to come.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I am! Very enjoyable, keep them coming.

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

I'm on it.

 

[BurningPirateShipSex]

Keep going

 

[NoCalMike]

I just read these over the course of the last few days. Excellent stuff. Doesn't Sammy The Bull ultimately takedown Gotti after being arrested and facing prison for life?